Why does Gen Z want to move abroad? And where do they want to go?
As the United States nears another presidential election, it’s probably safe to assume search traffic for those searching “move to —”, or even “digital nomad” will rise. Searches like these are often done out of frustration and don’t lead anywhere, but sometimes it may look like our country of immigrants is turning into a country of emigrants.
Is Gen Z looking for their “American Dream” elsewhere?
To find out, Preply surveyed 3,000 Americans ages 18 to 26 asking them about their desires to become an expat, where they want to go and why they want to leave the U.S. They asked, “On a scale of 1-5, how strongly do you feel that your future lies outside the U.S.?” The average response was 3.1 out of 5.
Why do young Americans want to move abroad?
Survey respondents cited social programs (25.6%), the opportunity to have new cultural experiences (18.9%), cost of living (18%) and a dislike of the political climate (17.7%) as the main reasons they would consider leaving the U.S.
Trailing behind were job opportunities (8.8%), lower stress (7.8%) and safety (5.8%). Fewer than 1% of respondents said their choice came down to wanting to learn a new language or because of influence by a digital nomad influencer.
When asked does “gun violence in the U.S. play a major role in your desire to emigrate,” 59% said yes.
When asked how long they wanted to live outside of the U.S., over a third replied “indefinitely.” Another third wanted to stay abroad for one to three years, 20.9% of people said three to five years and only 12% saw themselves abroad for less than a year.
In looking at family planning, 66% of respondents told Preply they’d rather start and raise a family abroad instead of moving back to the U.S. to do so.
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Where does Gen Z want to move?
Almost two-thirds of those surveyed said their dream of moving abroad has only increased with age.
The top ten countries survey respondents said they would move to are as follows:
United Kingdom
Canada
Japan
Netherlands
Singapore
Australia
Switzerland
Italy
Germany
Ireland
English is the major language in four of the top 10 countries. Each of the destinations is likely popular for a variety of reasons including proximity to other travel destinations, lifestyle and culture.
Other popular countries for young American expats included Sweden, New Zealand, Spain, Mexico, South Korea, France, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Philippines and Finland.
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Which states most/least want to expatriate?
Preply analyzed respondent data and ranked the states where young people are most likely to want to move compared to those who are least likely.
The top five states for people who want to leave the U.S. are Pennsylvania, Oregon, Kansas, Texas and Missouri. The bottom five states are Maine, New Hampshire, Delaware, Alaska and Wisconsin.
Both Utah and its capital Salt Lake City rank in the bottom for desire to expatriate. Utah is the 8th least likely state and Salt Lake City is the 3rd least likely city from which people want to move to another country.
How do you become an expat?
Moving to another country is no small feat and requires persistence and a source of internal motivation.
Working Abroad Magazine outlines four steps for people looking to move to consider:
Pick a location and duration of stay.
Find a job.
Apply for a visa.
Await approval.
These steps, while short and simple on paper, involve volumes of communication, research and paperwork at each stage. The most important thing to remember throughout the process is to have patience and never stop working for it.
