Executive Director Wiese Speaks at Symposium

The first-ever Symposium on Young American Men, held November 3, 2025, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., unveiled new survey data showing a generation of U.S. young men (ages 16–28) grappling with high online time, limited friendships, and widespread self-reported mental-health challenges.

Larry Stanton Wiese, Executive Director of Kappa Alpha Order’s National Administrative Office and President of the Kappa Alpha Order Educational Foundation, spoke at the inaugural event, joining a distinguished panel to discuss ways to improve the well-being of young men and highlight data related to the challenges they face today. Wiese was joined on the panel by Oklahoma Senator James Lankford, Patrick E. Kelly, CEO of the Knights of Columbus, and Michael DeVaul, Director of Young Men Thriving at YMCA of the USA. Mike Mayer, CEO of Theta Chi Fraternity, served as the panel’s moderator.

Symposium panelists emphasized that young men’s loneliness and disengagement often stem from a lack of in-person connection, diminishing role models, and the disappearance of traditional male spaces. The event underscored that belonging to organized groups such as fraternities, faith-based institutions, and civic organizations is closely associated with stronger mental health and life satisfaction.

The broader data context reinforces the urgency of this discussion. Gallup reports that U.S. men ages 15–34 experience loneliness at significantly higher rates than women of the same age, while male enrollment in four-year colleges has dropped to just 42% of young students, down from 47% in 2011. Cygnal, a 538 and New York Times top-rated pollster, released a landmark survey of 1,000 males ages 16 to 28 performed in October 2025:

• MENTAL HEALTH: 57% of respondents said their mental health is just “fair,” “poor” or “very poor.”
• FRIENDSHIPS: 48% of Gen Z males have two or fewer friends, with 11% having no friends at all.
• MENTORS: 40% of young men said they don’t have a male mentor.
• AFFILIATION: 35% of males ages 16 to 28 are not affiliated with any organized group (e.g., religious congregation, intramural sports team, online community, political or volunteer organization, educational association).
• ONLINE ACTIVITY: 50% spend five or more hours a day online streaming, gaming, browsing, and using social media. 27% dedicate more than six hours each day to recreational online activities.
• PERSONAL CONNECTIONS: 48% of Gen Z males can be classified as “low social,” spending between zero and five hours per week in-person with friends or participating in social activities.

The symposium’s overarching message was clear: young men need more than access to services. They need community, purpose, mentorship, and structured belonging. Addressing these challenges will require policy, educational, and institutional efforts that go beyond treating symptoms to rebuilding the social frameworks that help men thrive.