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Four areas stood out from the survey results: increased empathy, changes to the way we think about education and careers, personal growth and long-lasting changes in the use of technology in learning. Please note that in this article we have led with the percentages for UK university students (unless otherwise stated) but have added percentages in brackets to show the view of global university students.

Increased empathy

The pandemic has been a collective experience like no other, but despite huge challenges with enforced isolation, people have found ways to support each other. More than three out of four university students globally agree that the pandemic has caused people to be more caring. The majority of UK students said they have become more interested in a multitude of social and environmental issues, with 73% (63%) showing increased interest in racial equality, 60% (44%) showing increased interest in climate change and 51% (52%) showing more interest in healthcare equality.

Changes to the way we think about education and careers

The pandemic has provided many people with space and time to reflect, especially about careers and life moving forward. 61% (68%) of university students see more value in their education than ever before and 69% (72%) feel a new urgency to complete it. Despite the struggles that many small business owners faced during the pandemic, 53% of students (UK and global number) reported that they are interested in starting their own business.

Personal growth

While it’s been emotionally difficult, the pandemic has also given us the opportunity to create a better version of ourselves. 82% (69%) of university students agree that the disruption of education contributed to anxiety, stress levels, or mental health issues. Only 45% of UK students thought that most students will be able to bounce back quickly from academic or social setbacks caused by the pandemic, compared with 87% of students in China and 57% of students globally. On a more positive note, 76% (80%) of university students are optimistic that the pandemic has made them more resilient than they previously thought with 80% (79%) agreeing that they have found new ways to be self-sufficient.

Long-lasting changes in the use of technology in learning

Both the parents and university students who responded to this survey expect there to be substantial changes to teaching and learning as a result of the pandemic. They were largely positive about the effect on widening participation with over 75% of parents and students globally expecting education to be more accessible to more people post pandemic. 82% (69%) of UK university students believe that universities will fundamentally change because of the pandemic. 81% (77%) of UK university students who responded to the survey agreed that ‘their university/college will have better technological capabilities following the Covid-19 pandemic.’ 87% (90%) think that some form of online learning will always be part of education moving forward with 82% (80%) somewhat agreeing or strongly agreeing that they are more confident and skilled in the use of technology after a year of online education. That said, the survey suggests that more support is needed: 91% (92%) of students surveyed believe that universities need to do more to teach the digital and tech skills required for modern jobs.

Across the four countries represented in the research, 64% of university students saw a hybrid or online environment as their ideal learning environment even after the pandemic. This figure was slightly lower for UK university students (which we’ve seen mirrored in other sector research with students), with 52% of UK students choosing hybrid or online as their ideal online learning environment (44% chose hybrid and 8% chose fully online).