Nido Living surveyed students across Europe on several topics associated with wellbeing. With EVAU exams having taken place in Spain, ahead of leaving certificates and offers issued in Ireland later this summer, and amid the summer intake process for Denmark, the student calendar is in full swing.
Many students will decide in the coming weeks what and where they will study for the next few years of their lives. Yet students across these key markets are becoming increasingly concerned about student life, with half in Ireland and Denmark suffering stress and anxiety, and almost a quarter in Spain ‘seriously’ considering dropping out.
The main conclusion of the survey highlights that 37% of university students in Spain suffer from stress or anxiety, this being the leading challenge they face during their time as a student.
This percentage rises to 50% in Denmark and 52% in Ireland. In Spain, other problems experienced by students are the search for a balance between work and studies (34%), self-confidence (31%), meeting new people (25%), or loneliness (20%). To a lesser extent, 7% of university students suffer some kind of discrimination and 2% say they suffer from bullying.
In Denmark, the top concerns after stress and anxiety were affording the lifestyle they want (45%), meeting new people (40%), making the most of University life (40%), staying physically active, keeping up with workload, and finding part-time work (35%).
In Ireland, other top concerns were workload (47%), budgeting (42%), a balance between work and studies (38%), making the most of University life (38%), affording the lifestyle they want (37%), and keeping physically active (35%).
As a result of concerns, 23% of Spanish students have ‘seriously’ considered leaving university, more than twice as many as in Denmark (11%) or Ireland (9%). This situation coincides with 27% saying that their university does not care about their wellbeing, a percentage that drops to 11% in Denmark and 7% in Ireland.
In contrast, only 6% of students in Spain consider that their accommodation solution does not cater for their welfare needs, such as a student residence or a hall of residence: 75% say that these centres do take their welfare into account. Similarly, 73% of students consider that their current accommodation has a positive impact on their wellbeing.
However, while the scores highlight a belief by students that universities do not care about their wellbeing, 87% of students believe that Nido does, highlighting the essential role accommodation providers and operators play in student happiness.
“The quality of student accommodation allows students to optimse their university experience, and also to live in a community space where they can develop as individuals and as professionals, placing their mental health and wellbeing as a priority. Many providers understand that the transition to maturity for young people is a vital stage of life, and as such they have to do everything possible to help students during their journey as university students.
“We believe that every decision in delivering accommodation is made with the student’s experience and wellbeing front of mind – from design to services, to facilitating friendships via events, and understanding and supporting them in their concerns and challenges. At Nido Living, we have embarked on an industry-first wellbeing partnership with a professional in this very subject to deliver toolkits on how to cope with the challenges of stress and anxiety, to help us determine the right support programmes for each different culture, and to come up with new and strategic initiatives based on constant feedback and monitoring. It’s already made a huge difference with 87% of our students believing that we care about their wellbeing.”
Suraiya Comunello, CMO at Nido Living
According to the Nido Living survey, students consider that quality (74%) and proximity to the centre of study (73%) are the two determining factors when choosing accommodation during their time at university. They are followed by security (59%), the variety of services (58%), the size of the room (56%), access to common areas (55%), the guarantee of a ‘vibrant’ student experience (48%) and living with friends (23%). Only 11% of students have no decision-making power when it comes to choosing their stay, albeit the influence of the parent has risen sharply post-Covid.
Internationally, Nido Living research shows that university students are worried about making friends (16%), missing home (14%), socialising (14%), problems sleeping (14%), or loneliness (10%).
‘Academic performance is closely linked to motivation, and motivation is closely linked to a student’s state of mind. Our duty as an accommodation provider is to minimise students’ worries. That’s why we believe it is essential to understand their concerns, promote wellbeing, and create a community through events, such as a cooking workshop or a meditation class. This helps young people to be more motivated and happier, which will increase their ability to study and perform. Motivation is everything in the face of the enormous challenge of leaving adolescence and embracing the responsibilities of adulthood and we have a very real role to play in that,’
Darren Gardner, COO of Nido Living
Student wellbeing, wellness, support and security have become top priorities for students and parents alike since the pandemic. Dr Tara Quinn-Cirillo recently discussed this significance.
