A recent survey conducted by Preply found that young Americans between the ages of 18 and 26 are increasingly considering their future outside the borders of the United States, and more specifically, in any country in the European Union.
It turned out that this study ranks the top 20 countries to which young Americans are considering moving, with nine EU member states securing a spot on the list.
The nine EU countries part of the top 20 list that young Americans want to emigrate to are as follows:
- Netherlands
- Switzerland
- Italy
- Germany
- Ireland
- Sweden
- Spain
- France
- Finland
The Netherlands is the most popular EU member state and holds the fourth place as a potential emigration destination for young Americans.
Switzerland came in 7th place, Italy in 8th place, Germany in 9th place, Ireland in 10th place, Sweden in 11th place, Spain in 13th place, France in 16th place and Finland in 17th place.
Young Americans who responded to the survey cited the cost of living and politics as key factors in wanting to move to one of these nine EU countries, as well as the other 11 countries on the list.
Another factor that led young Americans to consider immigrating to the EU countries mentioned above was universal health care. But the main reason was to have a new cultural experience.
Surprisingly, the study also found that the influence of digital nomad influencers plays a minimal role in shaping young Americans' migration aspirations.
Furthermore, despite the prevalence of online expat communities, only about 28 percent said these platforms could contribute to their decision to move abroad.
Additionally, the study found that more than one-third of the young Americans surveyed intended to live abroad indefinitely.
A further two-thirds said they intended to raise a family abroad, and around 87% said their desire to live abroad remained the same or increased.
In addition to young Americans, an increasing number of people of other age groups are settling in Europe due to improved quality of life and job opportunities. Work-life balance is just one reason why more and more Americans are moving to Europe.
One of the most important reasons is that English is widespread in European educational institutions and there are no major language barriers.