PF Global researchers spent more than 50 hours playing video games and speaking to over 100 young men in the process. They found these online spaces have become a place to meet friends and make new ones. The conversations touched on the cost of living, a lack of work and a sense of decline in the areas they lived.
An interactive version of the report is available here.
You can read the Sunday Times coverage of this PF Global research here.
What do young men talk about when they log on to play video games?
In a first-of-its-kind study, a team of researchers at PF Global put on their gaming headsets to speak to a cohort whose voices would otherwise go unheard.
They spent more than 50 hours in gaming lobbies speaking to young male gamers aged 18 to 30. They had serious conversations about topics including unemployment, immigration and the cost of living. They found international friendships formed, and perspectives on how Britain is viewed globally.
Above all, they found that the virtual world where these young men spend their evenings is a real community, hidden almost entirely from view.
Between March and September 2026, the team interviewed over 100 young men from 18 countries.
The views of men aged 18 to 30 are among the hardest in Britain to research. Few answer polls or sign up for focus groups, and they are rarely out and about in the places where face-to-face research happens.
PF Global polling of this cohort found only a third (34%) of men aged 18 to 30 speak to other people in their local area at least once a week. Yet 38% spoke to a stranger while gaming in the last week alone.
A community most people never see
Researchers found groups of old friends who play together every night and busy public servers where a dozen strangers from different countries talk to each other.
PF Global also carried out polling of men aged 18 to 30, which shows how far their social lives have moved online, and that these relationships are often far from trivial:
- Nearly nine in ten (87%) of men aged 18 to 30 have spoken to a stranger while playing a video game.
- More than two-thirds (68%) logged on to play a video game in the last week.
- Six in ten (61%) feel part of a community through the online games they play.
- Nearly six in ten (57%) have at least one friend they first met through gaming.
- Nearly half (47%) have had a deep or meaningful conversation with a stranger while gaming.
- Seven in ten (69%) have spoken to people from different backgrounds while gaming.
- Four in ten (41%) of those who talk to others while gaming say they probably speak to people more in games than in real life.
- More than four in ten (43%) of those out of work are pessimistic about their career progression, compared with 20% of those in work.
Cut off from work and from their local areas
The young men researchers spoke to were preoccupied by the cost of living and pessimistic about their prospects. Many simply laughed when asked about job opportunities.
Most came from small towns rather than big cities, and several used the same word, “sh*thole”, to describe where they live. Those in work saw themselves as the lucky ones, saying many of their friends had given up looking for jobs altogether.
Not much to be fair mate, pretty much just game all day. Young man from South London, asked what he does when he isn’t gaming
Loads of them just don’t work, mate. There’s f*** all around here. Mechanic, Middlesbrough, describing his friends
Trying to find, like, any entry-level position for part-time work is basically impossible now. 18-year-old college student, Birmingham
Gaming is also where many young men pick up the news. More than four in ten (45%) men aged 18 to 30 have first heard about a news story while gaming online. Some of the conversation researchers had included:
- The cost of living: The rising cost of fuel, energy bills, rent and food were a common topic of conversation. It came up unprompted and was prominent across the whole six months of the project.
- The lack of work: Many said there few opportunities for them locally beyond supermarkets, fast food outlets or seasonal jobs.
- Immigration: The issue of small boat crossings came up a lot, and it was something the young gamers said they saw frequently on social media.
- How Britain is seen abroad: Gamers from the US, Canada and the Middle East told researchers they thought the UK was “chaotic” and repeatedly brought up knife crime.
Most were deeply cynical about politics. Local elections passed many of them by entirely. Where they did engage, right-wing figures such as Rupert Lowe and Nigel Farage were mentioned more than any other UK politicians, largely for being seen to “say it how it is” on immigration. PF Global polling reinforces this point, with only a third (34%) of men aged 18 to 30 saying they are certain to vote if a general election were called tomorrow.
They’re all full of s***, aren’t they? They’re all the same to me. They promise the world, but nothing ever changes. Mechanic, Middlesbrough, on politician
Ed Shackle, Director at PF Global and Head of Qualitative Research, said:
“Much has been said about young men, but very little has been heard from them. They are incredibly hard to reach in traditional political research, so we went to where they actually spend their evenings. We found a generation that feels priced out of the world around them and written off by the jobs market.
“For many, the gaming lobby is now their local. It is where they see friends, make new ones and let off steam. With a pint costing around £5.50 and an online console membership £6 to £7 a month, it is a far cheaper place to socialise.
“Their worries about the cost of living, work and the state of their towns are the same worries we hear across the country when we speak to the public at large. There is an overwhelming sense that these young men have given up on politics. They air their frustrations in online spaces, far from where politicians are listening. Anyone who wants to win them over will have to start paying attention to the spaces where they actually spend their time.”
Methodology
- For interviews and further details, please contact: media@pf.global
- The qualitative research was carried out by a team of eight PF Global researchers between March and September 2026. Researchers spent more than 50 hours in publicly accessible gaming lobbies and voice chats, including Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Terraria, Rocket League and Discord, and interviewed over 100 young men from 18 countries. No one under 18 was interviewed and all usernames have been changed.
- PF Global conducted a nationally representative online survey of 2,050 UK adults, with a boost of 524 men aged 18 to 30, giving a base of 731 men aged 18 to 30. Fieldwork took place from 2 to 12 October 2026.
