Most of the younger European generations, such as millennials or generation Z, want to start a family, but it is in Portugal that the desire to have children is greatest, reveals a study released on 5 September.

According to data from the second phase of the Merck survey “Merck.Sustainable or nothing: The future that European Millennials and Zeta’s want”, carried out in 10 European countries as part of the celebrations of the European Year of Youth 2022, 72 percent of younger European generations want to have a family, a figure that reaches 82 percent in Portugal.

The study, which included the participation of more than 6,100 young people, also indicates that in Portugal, 49 percent of millennials (between the ages of 25 and 35) want to have children within three years.

Portuguese respondents once again stand out, among all Europeans, as the most receptive to fertility treatments in the event of difficulty in conceiving naturally: eight out of 10 young people would not hesitate to do so, a figure seven percentage points higher than young Europeans as a whole.

As to what these generations value when it comes to starting a family, the study shows that in Portugal it is physical and emotional health that comes first for millennials (98 percent) and for those between 18 and 23 years old (generation Z, 97 percent).

The study, which counted 612 participants in Portugal, says that in second place comes having the right partner (97 percent in both generations), and in third place having a “satisfactory and stable” job (96 percent in millennials and 97 percent in generation Z).

The survey involved thousands of young people aged between 18 and 35 in Portugal, Germany, Austria, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland and the UK.

The study also wanted to know if young people had someone to look after, with 34 percent of Europeans replying in the affirmative.

In Portugal, this percentage does not go beyond 26 percent, which makes the country (among the 10 that participated) the second where fewer young people are informal carers. In Norway this figure reaches 51 percent and in France it reaches 43 percent.

For those who take on the task of informal carer, the survey also reveals that the most important thing for the performance of this task is understanding and flexibility at work (73 percent), a figure which once again puts young Portuguese ahead of the rest of Europe (59 percent).

Young Portuguese also highlight the need for financial support (58 percent) and psychological support (48 percent).

Only 21 percent of young people in Portugal have children, 12 percentage points less than young Europeans as a whole. Per generation, almost 30 percent of Portuguese millennials have children.

In terms of physical health, 55 percent of young Portuguese people consider themselves well, although six percentage points below young Europeans as a whole, with regard to mental health the scenario is slightly different: less than half (48 percent) say they have good emotional health, a figure which falls to 42 percent in the case of generation Z.

The data also shows that young Europeans find a less healthy environment on social media than at work or at school. In addition, eight out of 10 say they have a healthy environment with their families and friends.

In Portugal, millennials consider the environment of social media healthier than young people of generation Z.

Most young Portuguese people follow the healthy living advice given by health professionals (56 percent) with both generation Z (20 percent) and Portuguese millennials (26 percent) having little trust in influencers for this type of advice.

Source: The Portugal News