A new survey has found that while two in five students are seriously considering dropping out, there’s also a wave of optimism about the future.
The Canadian Student Wellbeing Study 2022, independently conducted by Angus Reid and commissioned by education company Studiosity, recently looked at the current stress levels of post-secondary Canadian students. thinking about dropping out and future prospects.
The study included 1,014 student participants who were surveyed online from March 10 to March 24, with domestic students making up 89% of the cohort and international students making up the remaining 11%.
In the survey, 62% of students between the ages of 18 and 21 said they feel stressed when studying or doing schoolwork on a daily basis. This number dropped significantly for 22-year-olds, with only 48% feeling the same way.
Half of the students said that more access to financial aid would help combat their stress levels. The survey also shows that fewer students want to return to face-to-face classes than in 2021.
“Going to college is free so I won’t have to worry as much about having a large debt on my family in the future. Or parental allowances,” one student said in response to the survey.
Student debt in Canada, as of 2022, amounts to $18 billion, and the average student debtor owes at least $28,000, according to Statistics Canada.
The study also revealed that domestic students in Canada reported higher stress levels than international students, ranking higher than them on most variables, including balance of commitments between school and society. festival.
MANY OTHER STUDENTS WERE CONSIDERED TO APPEAR
40% of students said they are seriously considering dropping out of college. This number is up 5% compared to 2021.
The survey found that students in Ontario mostly drive this number. In Ontario, this group represents 41% of students, up 9 points from 2021.
There is also a significant variation in preferences with age. Nearly half of students (47%) aged 18 to 19 said they were seriously considering dropping out, up from 2021 when the rate was 29%.
According to the survey, full-time students also tend to drop out more. Thirty-eight percent of students said they were considering it, up seven points from 2021.
OPTIMIZE GROWTH TO FUTURE EMPLOYMENTS
According to the survey, 64% of students said they are optimistic about graduate or college employment.
Forty-four percent of this group described themselves as “somewhat optimistic,” while 20 percent said they were “very optimistic.”
Many students said in their comments that they expect more CO-OP and internship opportunities from their institutions and are optimistic that these opportunities can lead them to more permanent employment.
“It is comforting to see that the majority of students still feel optimistic about their future, up slightly from 2021,” Judyth Sachs, director of learning at Studiosity, said in a statement last week.
“It is proof that universities have focused on student safety and wellbeing during the most difficult years, making students feel supported and heard throughout the challenges of the pandemic. “.
The survey discovered a distinct gap between students who are working full-time or part-time
compared to those who don’t. 71% and 65% of both groups said they were optimistic about future job opportunities, respectively.
According to the survey, unemployed students are twice as likely to be pessimistic about future job opportunities.
