Why?

This week, our son Rob shared a Gallup article that left me with the unsettling question, “Why?” Here’s the opening paragraph:

For the second straight year, about one in five Americans say they would like to leave the U.S. and move permanently to another country if they could. This heightened desire to migrate is driven primarily by younger women.

“What has changed in the US?” This was my question after reading the article’s second paragraph:

In 2025, 40% of women aged 15 to 44 say they would move abroad permanently if they had the opportunity. The current figure is four times higher than the 10% who shared this desire in 2014, when it was generally in line with other age and gender groups.

Tomorrow, I’ll share some thoughts about the poll. What do you make of these statistics?

From “Record Numbers of Younger Women Want to Leave the U.S.,” by Benedict Vigers and Julie Ray, Gallup News, November 13, 2025.