New Polling Shows 1 In 4 Young Brits Could Leave
Poll finds that young Brits are deeply anxious about their financial prospects, with many considering leaving the country altogether.
New polling of British 18-30 year olds, conducted by Adam Smith Insights as part of its Anxious Generation series, reveals serious concerns about housing, personal finances and their future in the UK. According to the nationally representative survey, over a quarter have seriously considered or are actively planning to leave the country.
This shocking figure makes sense when set against the backdrop of widespread pessimism about the UK’s future. Nearly two-thirds of young Britons believe finding affordable housing will become more difficult over the next five years, while half say that most of their peers are struggling financially.
These concerns cut across political divides. Voters from all major parties express similar fears about housing and financial insecurity, signalling a generation-wide erosion of confidence in the UK’s economic future.
This latest data comes amid growing concerns about intergenerational inequality. Sluggish growth, a broken planning system and a sky-high tax burden have left many young people feeling worse off than their parents, unable to build independent lives.
With young people feeling increasingly disenchanted, it is clear that meaningful change is needed to prevent them from joining the UK's ongoing wealth exodus.
KEY FINDINGS:
Emigration Pressure
28% are either actively planning (8%) or have seriously considered (20%) emigrating.
Another 30% have briefly considered it.
Only 35% say they have never thought about leaving the UK.
Housing
65% believe it will become more difficult to find affordable housing in the next five years.
38% say “much more difficult,” 27% “somewhat more difficult”.
Just 21% think it will get easier.
63% of young Conservatives, 65% of Labour, and 68% of Reform UK voters say housing access will worsen.
Financial Strain
50% say most people their age struggle to make ends meet.
43% say some do and only 5% think most do not struggle.
Again, there is broad consensus across parties with 54% of Conservative, 50% of Labour voters and 49% of Reform UK saying most struggle.
Nigel Farage, Leader of Reform UK, said:
“It’s sad but not a surprise that ambitious young Brits are increasingly looking overseas for opportunities.
High taxes and stagnant wages have crushed aspiration and punished hard work.
This can’t go on. We must give the next generation the freedom to thrive, raise families, and build a bright future here in the UK.”
Jack Rankin, Conservative Member of Parliament for Windsor, said:
“The Government’s dismal failure to deliver growth, accessible and cheap housing, and record high taxation is not just crushing Britain, but it’s driving our future away. These devastating findings show that Britain needs to be freed from the dead hand of the state; freedom should be the order of the day, so young people feel confident enough to stay in our country and reverse the fraying intergenerational social contract.”
Emma Schubart, Data & Insights Manager at the Adam Smith Institute, said:
“The youngest generation of British workers are sending a clear message. They feel overtaxed, underhoused and undervalued. If our political class continues to ignore these warning signs, we risk exporting our talent at precisely the moment when it is most needed.
With the country already facing a wealth exodus thanks, in large part, to its reckless decision to scrap the non-dom tax regime, the Treasury can hardly afford to lose an entire generation of ambitious young people as well. Addressing these challenges is not just a matter of fairness - it is essential to securing Britain’s long-term economic and social future.
Young Britons urgently need evidence that ambition and hard work still translate into security and success in this country.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
For any further details on the methodology, or to arrange an interview, please contact press@adamsmith.org / +44 7584778207
Methodology:
Adam Smith Insights ran a poll on behalf of its sister think tank, the Adam Smith Institute, of a nationally representative sample of GB adults:
Nationally representative poll of UK 18 - 30 year olds in the UK.
Poll conducted via online panels
Field dates 8 July – 10 July 2025
N = 1338
Poll weighted to population targets to match GB 18-30 year old population profile across age, gender, region, ethnicity, and 2024 general election vote using ONS 2021 Census data, age-by-vote distributions derived from Ipsos’s post-election analysis: “How Britain voted in the 2024 election”, national vote share data from the Electoral Reform Society’s 2024 general election results, and YouGov/BES polling.
The poll results, with a median completion time of approximately 5 minutes, has a margin of error of ±2.7%.
Respondents were filtered for completion quality (e.g., straight-lining, speeding), and responses with incomplete or invalid data were excluded from analysis. No imputation was applied.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Adam Smith Institute is one of the world’s leading think tanks. It is ranked first in the world among independent think tanks and as the best domestic and international economic policy think tank in the UK by the University of Pennsylvania. Independent, non-profit and non-partisan, the Institute is at the forefront of making the case for free markets and a free society, through education, research, publishing, and media outreach.
Adam Smith Insights is a new type of data and polling organisation, with a special focus on economics and policy change. Through analysis of public sentiment, we reshape what is politically possible. We help construct reforms which will be more popular and successful, while exposing the failings of our current system. Through a range of quantitative and qualitative methods, we equip policy makers with the right insights to shift the agenda and change reality. We operate globally, with data and analysis covering all regions.