900+ ESCP students and recent alumni share what it means to live, learn and love in Europe. Explore their perspectives on student life in Europe, careers, relationships and the future of the continent.

Across six European campuses, ESCP students experience Europe in motion: as a home, a classroom, a workplace, and a springboard for the future they are already helping to shape. But what does it mean to navigate Europe as a young person today?

As part of ESCP’s first edition of the Live, Learn & Love in Europe survey more than 900 students and recent graduates aged 18 to 35 across ESCP campuses and programmes shared their perspectives on what they value most about life in Europe, the challenges they face, and why so many see a future on the continent.

An institution shaped by its distinctly pan-European identity, ESCP launched the survey to understand how students experience Europe with this first-of-its-kind initiative by a business school. What has emerged is a nuanced, hopeful and sometimes surprising picture, revealing a generation that values Europe deeply, and sees it as a highly attractive place to live, learn, love—and question.

Europe is widely appreciated for the quality of life it offers. In the survey, 91% of students said they were satisfied with quality of life in Europe, citing top factors as cultural opportunities, access to physical activity, and safety.

However, economic pressures cast a shadow. A striking 94% of respondents consider Europe expensive to live in, and student financial support is seen as inadequate by two-thirds of participants. Housing emerges as the single sharpest pain point: more than 6 in 10 respondents report difficulties finding accommodation — a significant challenge in an otherwise positive European experience.

Europe is where many students imagine what comes next. Nine in ten students say they are likely to work in Europe after their studies. Academic reputation and quality of education are among the top reasons students chose Europe in the first place (52%), followed by career opportunities and freedom of movement.

Slightly more than half (52%) of students see themselves as likely to start a business in Europe. Entrepreneurial appetite is strongest among Bachelor students, 87% of whom say they are likely to start a business in Europe, compared with 50% of 25–34-year-olds. The question is then how can Europe create a more enabling environment for entrepreneurial ambitions?

Young people want balance, not only advancement. Work-life balance is the top draw for European careers (46%), ahead of career opportunities (43%), values & freedoms (37%) and social protection & rights (32.6%). These students are choosing Europe deliberately for how it lets them live, not just how it lets them earn.

Despite that European workplaces are still perceived as hierarchical and less likely to value taking initiative. Europe is attractive for ambitious young minds. The question is whether its workplaces are ready to unlock the potential.

Europe is seen as socially open, tolerant, and a great place to meet people. 82% find it easy to meet new people, and 75% find it easy to make friends. The social codes are broadly legible — 77% say they are easy to understand — yet only 57% feel that the people they interact with in Europe express their emotions easily.

This translates into difficulty in deepening relationships with only 61% finding it easy to develop close relationships, while just less than half (49%) find it easy to start or maintain a romantic relationship. Meeting people is easy; a sense of belonging and emotional intimacy is harder to build.

Young people are optimistic about the future. Despite all that the continent has faced — pandemic disruption, war on its borders, political fragmentation and economic pressure — 68% of respondents are at least somewhat optimistic about Europe's future.

However, trust in European institutions remains divided. Respondents recognise strengths — environmental commitment (79%) and equality and inclusion (76%) — but only 52% consider institutions transparent and trustworthy, and fewer than half (48%) feel they adequately respond to citizens' needs.

Priorities are shifting aligned with geopolitical tensions. Democracy and political stability, migration and integration, and international influence and security, are seen as the most important challenges for Europe in the next 10 years. More so than: climate change, economic inequality, digital transformation, education & youth opportunities.