Young adults in European countries are experiencing despair when it comes to considering their future. According to a Pew Research study, millennials in Europe are afflicted with a lack of a sense of agency. Many of them don't feel they can make changes in the world around them or with their own future. This is in contrast to American Millennials who feel they are masters of their own fate and can make an impact in the world around them.

European millenials' cynical view on their futures may be due to the fact more than half of young adults in Europe are unemployed.

More than half of Millennials in six of the seven European Union nations surveyed last year believe "success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside our control." Roughly 63 percent of young Germans and Italians and 62 percent of young Greeks and Poles believe that statement. British youth were the exception with only 37 percent of those ages 18 to 33 agreeing with that statement.
On the American side, roughly four in 10 Americans, about 43 percent, shared that view.

European Millennials are considered young people who came of age politically, economically and socially as the 21st century began. In 2014, they ranged in age from 18 to 33. American Millennials are defined by shared cultural and historical experiences.

Twenty-four percent of the adult populations in the 28-member European Union are considered Millennials. This is compared to the United States where about 27 percent of the adult populations are Millennials. In America, they are also expected to become the largest generation, soon to eclipse Baby Boomers later this year.

Millennials in Europe are a minority. The population in the EU is much older than the American population. Adults aged 50 and over made up 52 percent in Germany, 51 percent in Italy and 47 percent overall.

The difference in outlook is not solely felt by the youth in Europe. Culturally, European youth and elderly see themselves as victims of fate. This is contrasted with young and old Americans who see themselves as masters of their own future.

This attitude manifests itself in millennials' views on what it takes to get a good life. One in five French millennials, one in four Greek Millennials and one in three Polish Millennials rate a good education as crucial to getting ahead in life. On the other hand, 58 percent of Americans see education as very necessary for a successful future.

One in six young Greeks and a quarter of young Poles and French consider hard work as important to getting ahead. Only 44 percent of Germans believe hard work will achieve success. Roughly 73 percent of Americans equate hard work with success.

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