How has students’ wellbeing changed over the last year?

Freddie Parker on 13 April 2022
Student sat in a cubicle revising, seemingly stressed

The research from our student panel shows the changing factors affecting university life.

Over the last year, our student panel has given us a clear picture of what life’s been like for students. Here are the key factors impacting their wellbeing:

Stress

Since last March, the percentage of students reporting high levels of stress has risen from 13% to 15%. While this appears to be a relatively small increase, a month-by-month breakdown offers some interesting insights. For example, between July and August last year, stress levels increased from 6% to 19%. This could reflect the easing stress at the end of the academic year followed by the anxious wait for results day.

It’s also worth noting that over 50% of students reported that world politics is impacting their stress levels. This figure has risen month-on-month, from around 30% in February. Politics can be stressful, but there are ways you can get involved and make a change.

A year ago, the factor causing the most stress to students was the pandemic. In the last twelve months, this changed and students now report that academic factors are the biggest source of stress. The third and fourth biggest factors are loneliness and financial worries respectively.

Methods for coping

There are many ways to manage your wellbeing. According to the panel results over the last year, listening to music or watching TV is how most students choose to decompress. Speaking to friends or family and going outside also rank highly. If you’re looking for ways to improve your wellbeing, check out these methods for dealing with stress.

Support

Our previous look at how supported students felt during the pandemic suggested that many students were unhappy with the level of help they received. It’s no surprise, especially as the government offered no schemes to address the issues facing students. But this has changed over the last year, with the percentage of students feeling entirely unsupported halving to 9% from 18%. 

Despite this improvement, there seems to be a decline in the quality of education. 63% of undergraduate students stated that the quality of their education was ‘good’ in March, down from 82% in February.

Do you feel supported by your university? Join our panel and let us know. You’ll get 1000 reward points for signing up.

Freddie Parker
Freddie Parker on 13 April 2022