Gen Z Americans are leaving their European cousins in the dust

I wish this article had any form of substantiation to its claims - data, graphs, other articles, research, etc. It makes it hard to tell if this is written in good faith or a cope-piece for those worried about the housing market and economy as a whole given the demographic of readers of the FT.

Do you even have healthcare? A mass shooting-less society? Paid leaves? A tipless commerce?

This article is harmful and flawed in multiple critical ways: Data and Analysis Problems:

Cherry-picks economic indicators while ignoring wealth inequality, racial disparities, and class divides Uses averages instead of medians, masking extreme inequality Overlooks crushing student/medical debt Makes unsupported claims about Gen Z homeownership despite record unaffordability Ignores gig economy instability and job insecurity Misrepresents political behavior through oversimplified economic determinism

Healthcare Crisis Omissions:

US life expectancy declined while European peers improved Ignores mental health crisis among American youth Overlooks devastating impact of medical debt Fails to acknowledge value of European universal healthcare Disregards social determinants of health

Quality of Life Disparities:

Neglects European work-life balance benefits (paid leave, vacation) Overlooks value of social safety nets Ignores public transportation and urban planning benefits Dismisses environmental health impacts Fails to consider housing stability programs

Harmful Impact:

Perpetuates false narrative of American exceptionalism while ignoring systemic problems Minimizes serious challenges facing young Americans Discourages necessary policy reforms by suggesting everything is fine Promotes dangerous misunderstanding of generational economic trends Undermines push for better healthcare, worker protections, and social programs Uses selective data to dismiss valid concerns about inequality and economic instability Creates false division between European and American youth experiences Distracts from urgent need to address climate change, healthcare access, and wealth concentration

The article's rosy portrayal of American Gen Z success does active harm by providing cover for continued inaction on critical social and economic problems while dismissing very real struggles facing young people today.