Researchers at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences have conducted a comprehensive survey on the coronavirus crisis amongst their students. More than 1,300 students took part. The responses provide an insightful overview of the respondents’ opinions and feelings.
How do students view the coronavirus crisis, how do they assess its consequences, and what personal conclusions do they draw from it? These questions, and many more, were the focus of a survey conducted by a team of researchers at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences amongst its students. Invited via email, students were able to take part in the survey anonymously via a browser-based tool from 31 March 2020 to 2 April 2020. More than 1,300 students took part. Around 90 per cent completed the questionnaire in full. The design, implementation and analysis were led by Professor Dr.-Ing. Alexander Klein, Professor of Integrated Product Management; Professor Dr. Matthias Krauledat, Professor of Computer Science; and Dipl.-Ing. Christian Berendonk, research assistant. The AStA was also involved and invited to suggest questions.
All age groups and faculties were represented among the students who took part in the survey. Around 54 per cent of participants were men, and 45 per cent were women. Forty-one per cent were from Germany, and almost a quarter were from Asia.
Looking to the future
More than half of those surveyed expect the coronavirus crisis to be overcome within a year, or even sooner. Only one in seven believes the crisis will last three years or longer. Students from non-EU countries are even more optimistic in this regard: only one in twelve believes the crisis will last at least three years, compared with one in five Germans. Most students (80 per cent) see the pandemic as an opportunity for the future. Two-thirds of them state that the coronavirus crisis is prompting them to rethink their behaviour and make changes in their own lives. Whilst 45 per cent of participants are convinced that, generally speaking, the world will neither improve nor get worse, 30 per cent nonetheless expect things to improve. With regard to their university, an overwhelming majority (90 per cent) would like Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences to play a part in making the world a better place, both during and after the crisis.
Views on social distancing
Most of the students surveyed (87 per cent) consider the social distancing rules to be appropriate, although a quarter are opposed to a curfew. Similarly, a large majority (90 per cent) believe that people need clear rules during the coronavirus crisis. According to their own statements, most of those surveyed are adhering to these rules – though older students are doing so much more strictly than younger ones. Three-quarters would like the summer semester to consist exclusively of online teaching, even if this means not all modules can be delivered.
Feelings and concerns
The majority of participants feel fine for the time being. However, there are also students (10 per cent) who say they feel physically or emotionally unwell. Many (86 per cent) are worried about family members and friends in the face of the coronavirus crisis. Around half are worried about their own health, their personal financial situation and the economy in general. Respondents also report feeling a certain degree of loneliness due to social distancing measures. One in five say they often feel lonely. International students are affected by this more frequently than German students. The ways in which they try to cope with loneliness vary. Phone calls, including video calls, are the most common method. One in two take part in sport, and one in four play music, engage in artistic activities, meditate or pray.
“We are grateful to the students for their participation and their willingness to provide us with detailed information. But that is precisely what was so important to us,” said Professor Klein. And President Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen explains: “The responses provide us with valuable insights. They offer us, as a university, valuable guidance on how we can work together with the AStA, the student councils, the faculties and the university’s student organisations to better address students’ needs and circumstances.”
