Nature 2025 poll — 75% of US researchers considering leaving the country

A 2025 Nature reader poll drew more than 1,600 respondents (the majority of whom were scientists). 75% said they were considering leaving the country, rising to 79% among postgraduate researchers, citing funding cuts, firings, and cancelled programs as drivers (S-0078).

The European Commission's "Choose Europe for Science" program — launched May 2025 at €500M and expanded to ~€900M across 100+ national and regional initiatives — is actively recruiting global research talent during the US disruptions through ERC super-grants, ERA Chairs, and MSCA fellowships (S-0078).

The case is the strongest available empirical input for C-0026 Term E (faculty flight). Two properties strengthen it: (1) the magnitude — 75% considering departure is the sort of figure that, if even partially realized, dramatically reshapes the U.S. research labor market — and (2) the active recruiting context — receiving institutions are moving in real time to capture the displaced researchers, which means the consideration-to-departure conversion has structural enabling conditions.

The 44%-adequate-IT-support figure (E-0057) is the structural explanation for why infrastructure-thin institutions lose this competition: candidates with options choose the institution where the work can be done.