It is an object of the present invention to provide a high molecular weight compound that has excellent hole injection and transport performance, is capable of blocking electrons, and is highly stable as a thin film. It is another object of the present invention to provide an organic EL element that includes an organic layer (thin film) made of the above-described high molecular weight compound, wherein the organic EL element has high light emission efficiency and a long lifespan. The high molecular weight compound according to the present invention includes a repeating unit represented by a general formula (3), that is constituted by a specific triarylamine structural unit and a specific bonding structural unit, and has a weight average molecular weight of 10,000 or more and less than 1,000,000 on a polystyrene basis.