One in three young males have a positive view of Andrew Tate

Josephine Hansom Managing Director, Youth 06/08/2023

Although a majority of young men do see Tate’s most controversial viewpoints as problematic, there is still a significant minority that does not.

As influencers become increasingly prominent in public life, particularly among a younger audience, few are as well-known as Andrew Tate. A controversial social media influencer, Tate’s views on society, masculinity, and the modern world have garnered him popularity and notoriety in seemingly equal measure.

We know that his social posts attract millions of views but understanding the algorithm of each platform and generating content accordingly, versus having subscribers sympathising with his world views are not the same thing. His recent arrest in Romania for suspected human trafficking, and subsequent BBC interview where Tate defended his reputation, has increased his infamy beyond that of a mere influencer.

**But what do young people really think of him?**

Using Savanta’s Youth Omnibus, a monthly tracker of 16-25 year olds, we sought to find out how many young people, particularly younger men, agree with Tate’s philosophies.

Overall, just one in five (20%) young people say they have a positive view of Tate, and around half of those (10% overall) describe that view as ‘very’ positive. Meanwhile, six in ten (61%) report having a negative view of Tate, with the majority of those (51% overall) describing that view as ‘very’ negative.

When we look at these results by demographic, perhaps unsurprisingly, things begin to differ.

One in three (32%) young men say they have a positive view of Tate, compared to just one in 11 (9%) of young women, where three-quarters (74%) say they have a negative view. It should be noted, though, that while a third of young men have a positive view of Tate, almost half (47%) have a negative one.

Among all of the nine influencers we tested, more young women have a negative view of Tate than any of the others, while young men are only more likely to dislike Jake Paul (64%) than Tate. However, young men are also only more likely to have a positive view of KSI (51%) and Joe Rogan (38%) than Tate, indicating how divisive a figure he is.

The findings also illustrate that heterosexual young people (24%) and young people from an ethnic minority background (31%) are more likely than their LGB+ (5%) and White (15%) peers to have a positive view of Tate.

Delving a little deeper, we begin to see Tate’s appeal among a younger, male, audience.

Seven in ten (69%) young men would describe him as successful, while approaching half would describe him as both honest (45%) and intellectual (45%). A further third (31%) see him as a role model. However, a majority of young men see Tate as sexist (58%) and a misogynist (56%), while 46% see him as ‘disturbed’.

Young women, however, are significantly less likely to describe Tate positively.

Only a quarter (26%) would describe him as honest, one in six (17%) as intellectual, and one in ten (10%) as a role model. Comparatively, the vast majority of young women would describe him as sexist (83%), while three-quarters say he is a misogynist (75%) and disturbed (75%). Approaching half (44%), however, describe him as successful.

Young people may see Tate as sexist and misogynistic, but not think that’s a problem.

According to our data, 86% of young women and 64% of young men see Tate’s views on women as problematic, similar proportions also feel his views are problematic on sexual assault/violence (83% vs 63%) and masculinity (82% vs 59%).

While his views on issues such as religion, politics and the environment are seen as more palatable, across both young men and women, more see his views as problematic than not in every topic we tested. The one exception is the 46% of young men saying his views on entrepreneurialism are not problematic, marginally outweighing the 39% who say they are.

Although the findings imply that a majority of young men do see Tate’s most controversial viewpoints as problematic, there is still a significant minority that does not. A third (34%) of young men find no issue with his view of masculinity and a quarter say his views on women (26%) and sexual assault/violence (24%) are not problematic either.

While his influence may not be as large as his subscriber count, Tate has managed to capture the admiration of a portion of young people – disproportionately male, straight and from ethnic minority backgrounds – who find his views on women, masculinity and violence palatable.

Understanding the impact of influencers on shaping attitudes among young people is crucial as they continue to hold prominence in public life. Andrew Tate exemplifies the complexities and divisions in social media influence, where popularity and notoriety coexist.