About a month ago, I learned that three colleagues were leaving Yale for the University of Toronto. Philosophy professor Jason Stanley, history professors Timothy Snyder and Marci Shore are not only senior scholars at Yale, all three study fascism. Stanley appeared in many media outlets — The Guardian, PBS, The Atlantic, etc. — explicitly noting that America’s slide into authoritarianism and fascism is a major impetus for his departure.
Are their departures a sign of an impending mass exodus of American academics to other countries or are they simply three of the many faculty members that move from institution to institution every year? Given Stanley’s detailed exposition about the reasons for his leave, it’s worth considering whether the shift in the political climate in the US has prompted American scientists to look elsewhere. Moreover, are nonacademics considering leaving their American lives?
Nature, a major science journal, conducted a poll in late March 2025 and found that among 16,000 respondents, 75 percent were considering leaving the US because of the changes from this administration. While this is an alarming number, polls that rely on self-selected participants can lead to misleading results. Basic statistics teaches us that it’s best to rely on a random sample of respondents or even better, a complete census. Still, we can learn something about the rationale for people’s planned departure.
Many of the respondents were younger scholars, who see the disappearance of viable scientific careers. In the US, funding for the sciences via government agencies like the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and the National Center for Education Statistics have been severely cut. Staff at scientific agencies have been slashed, and grants to universities have been cut and threatened. Right now, $2 billion to Harvard, $400 million to Columbia and $800 million in USAID funding to Johns Hopkins among many others have been cut. In addition, Harvard’s tax-exempt status is at risk.
Still, I realize that most people do not work in this sector and haven’t yet felt these changes firsthand. The question remains whether Americans elsewhere are also imagining a life outside of the US.
The Harris Poll conducted a survey with a random sample of approximately 2,000 Americans in August 2024, November 2024 and February 2025. Anyone can download the results of this survey from their website. Here are a few highlights for me.
Fifty-two percent of Americans in the Harris poll dream of a better life outside of the US. This percentage was higher for younger (Generation Z) respondents (63 percent) and Hispanic (61 percent) and Black respondents (57 percent). They did not report numbers for Asian Americans.
Reasons given by respondents for considering moving outside of the US include “seeking a more affordable cost of living” (86 percent); “living elsewhere that aligns with my values and beliefs” (81 percent); “personal growth and wellness" (80 percent); and “escaping political or social instability” (78 percent). The high percentages for each response suggest that the majority ticked all of these categories. “Values” and “escaping political and social instability” ranked highly among the rationales for leaving.
Of course, the average American is unhappy about high inflation and their overall sense of financial security. Many are worried about price increases that will come with rises in tariffs. Only 21 percent of Americans feel confident in their preparations for their financial well-being and retirement. Fifty-five percent feel that they are struggling to reach this goal.
Overall, these figures are alarming. The US has traditionally been a receiver of immigrants. Specifically, in 2023, 15 percent of Americans, or about 51.3 million of its 334 million people were born outside the US. The US receives the highest number of immigrants, but it is not the nation with the largest proportion of foreign-born residents. The second most popular country of destination for immigrants is Germany, where 17 million of its 84 million total population are foreign-born. Immigrants account for 20 percent of the German populace. Compare this to South Korea, where 2.5 million of about 52 million people were born abroad. This is just under 5 percent of its population.
As an aside, there are also many YouTube videos instructing older Americans about the virtues of retiring abroad. The attraction is that health insurance is more readily available in wealthy countries than in the US, especially for those under 65. The US provides health insurance under Medicare for those over 65. Some of these retirees also argue that housing can be more affordable.
Where does this leave us? Will the US shift from a country that welcomes people from other countries to one that sends its citizens abroad? I think once Americans realize how difficult it is to emigrate, fantasies of living abroad might dissipate. Still, it’s disturbing that so many people are entertaining the idea of living elsewhere. No matter what, I hope more Americans choose to travel abroad — only 51 percent of Americans have a valid passport. Of course, worries about crossing the US border might drive people to watch travel videos on YouTube instead.
Grace Kao
Grace Kao is an IBM professor of sociology and professor of ethnicity, race and migration at Yale University. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. — Ed.
