(TNND) — Gender and views of masculinity have been in the spotlight this election and could play an important role in determining the winner on Nov. 5.

The Pew Research Center surveyed Americans on their views on men and masculinity, finding both areas of agreement and partisan differences.

Overall, just a quarter of people said they believe that their fellow Americans view “manly or masculine” men in a mostly negative way.

Over 40% said masculine men are mostly viewed in a positive light. And close to a third of people said views of masculine men are neither positive nor negative.

But Republican men are more likely to rate themselves as highly masculine.

And they’re apparently more likely to think that their fellow Americans look down on them for their masculinity.

The Pew Research Center found that 42% of all men rated themselves as highly masculine.

Over half, 53%, of Republicans rated themselves as highly masculine.

By comparison, 29% of Democratic men rated themselves as highly masculine.

While Republican women were more likely to view themselves as highly feminine, there was only a six-point partisan gap in that survey question.

As previously noted, 25% of people in the Pew Research Center survey said people in the U.S. have mostly negative views of men who are manly or masculine.

Republicans were more likely to believe that (35%).

And Republican men were even more likely to believe that (45%).

Republicans who said masculine men are viewed negatively were also more likely to see that as a bad thing. That view was held by 86% of such Republicans, compared to 45% of such Democrats.

MASCULINITY & THE ELECTION

Dan Cassino, who studies gender identity in politics, said about half of men will rate themselves as extremely masculine when asked in surveys.

And those men more than likely support former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris.

Cassino, a professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University, is in charge of the school’s poll that has examined the role of gender and masculine identities in voter preferences.

Men who hold to a traditionally masculine identity are Trump's base, Cassino said.

“So, among that group, Trump is up over Harris by about 35 points. Huge gap,” Cassino said. “Among other men, the half of men who don't put themselves at the extremes of masculinity, Harris is up by 20. In fact, Harris is also up by 20 among most groups of women. So, really the gap is not between men and women, it's between this one group of traditional masculine men and everybody else.”

A Fairleigh Dickinson poll found that the men who put themselves in a “completely masculine” category favored Trump over Harris 64% to 30%.

Cassino’s polls have also found that about 40% of voters view Trump as completely masculine.

“And that actually is really critical to support for Trump,” he said.

Over 80% of the people who view Trump as completely masculine said in a Fairleigh Dickinson poll that they’ll vote for Trump.

Among Republicans who view Trump as completely masculine, support for Trump jumps to 98%.

Trump's appeal has really been about masculinity, a projection of leadership and forcefulness, Cassino said.

“It does turn off voters, but it also wins him over some voters,” Cassino said.

Harris, on the other hand, is viewed by most voters as being both somewhat masculine and not completely feminine, according to Cassino.

Voters tend to associate masculine qualities with leadership qualities, so female candidates have to try and be seen as at least somewhat masculine to be seen as leaders, Cassino said.

GENDER & BLACK SUPPORT

Harris is seemingly struggling to garner the same level of support among Black voters that previous Democratic presidential candidates have gotten, though she is getting the clear majority of Black support.

Cassino said issues of gender and masculinity could be playing a role in the seemingly softer Black support for Harris.

It’s something former President Barack Obama tackled recently when making a campaign stop in support of Harris.

“I'm going to go ahead and just say some, speak some truths if you don't mind,” Obama said. “Because my understanding based on reports I'm getting from campaigns and communities, is that we have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all quarters of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running. Now, I also want to say that that seems to be more pronounced with the brothers. So, if you don't mind just for a second, I'm going to speak to y'all directly.”

Obama said Harris is the clear choice for Black voters compared to Trump, and he spoke about Harris’ shared experiences with Black voters.

Obama denounced “reasons and excuses” for Black men “thinking about sitting out” this election.

“I've got a problem with that, because part of it makes me think, and I'm speaking to men directly now, part of it makes me think that, well you just aren't feeling the idea of having a woman as president,” Obama said. “And you're coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that."

Jatia Wrighten, an assistant professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, previously told The National News Desk that Obama touched upon some of the issues in the Black community that may have Black men second-guessing their vote.

“(And) I think it’s important that this message came from a high-profile Black man,” Wrighten said. “I hope it resonates with Black men and they think about their sisters, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and daughters.”

Cassino said the Pew Research Center study suggests that gender is really important for the way people form their political views.

Partisanship is what matters most, but gender can absolutely factor into how someone aligns themselves with a party, he said.

The issue of masculinity is having an impact on this election, Cassino said.

Masculinity is normally a part of politics, but it often looks like a fight over leadership, Cassino said.

What is usually “subtext” to an election has come to the forefront, with Trump questioning Harris’ strength and Harris questioning Trump’s vitality, Cassino said.