The focus of this research is to explore the decision-making process to “leave the nest”. The aim of

this research is to add a quantitative understanding of how the intention to leave the parental home

contributes to the realization of this phenomenon. Ajzen’s "Theory of Planned Behaviour" is used

as theoretical background for this study. The focus is on Italy, using the Italian Gender and

Generations Survey (GGS) collected in 2003 and 2007, as the primary data source. A comparison

with France, Germany and Poland is made for describing the panorama of intentions. The results

from an Exponential Regression model and a Competing Risk model show that those young adults

who express an intention to have a child in the near future are at highest risk of leaving the parental

home. In addition to this, the risk of leaving the parental home to live alone is higher for students

who plan to attend higher education.