The COVID-19 International Student Well-being Study

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Public Health
• Higher Education Studies

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted global higher education, affecting student well-being, living conditions, and academic experiences.
• A critical need existed for comprehensive, cross-country data on student well-being during the pandemic's initial peak.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and execute the COVID-19 International Student Well-being Study (C19 ISWS), a large-scale, multicountry online survey.
• To collect a unique, comparative dataset on higher education students' well-being, living conditions, mental health, and attitudes toward COVID-19 measures.
• To provide a foundation for social science research on student well-being in diverse policy contexts during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional, multicountry online survey methodology.
• Data collection from 26 countries and 110 higher education institutions in Spring 2020.
• Development of a comprehensive survey instrument covering demographics, living conditions, mental well-being, stressors, resources, and COVID-19 related knowledge and attitudes.

Main Results:

• The study successfully collected data on student living conditions, financial status, academic workload, mental well-being, and healthy lifestyles.
• Data captured perceived stressors, available resources (social support, economic capital), and student knowledge and attitudes towards COVID-19.
• Information on governmental and institutional COVID-19 measures during data collection was also included.

Conclusions:

• The C19 ISWS provides a unique, comprehensive, and comparative dataset on student well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• This dataset enables high-priority, socially relevant research advancing social science understanding of student experiences.
• The study highlights the importance of monitoring student well-being and adapting support systems in higher education during global crises.