UK universities are experiencing unprecedented levels of demand for mental health support services, according to this ONS report. It reveals that almost two-thirds of students have experienced a decline in their mental health this academic year, and that students' life satisfaction during the pandemic remains far below the national adult average.
Almost two-thirds (63%) of students indicated that their well-being and mental health had worsened since the start of the autumn term 2020. This has remained stable since the last survey (8 to 18 January 2021) but at an elevated level compared with the 57% of students reporting the same in November 2020 (20 to 25 November 2020).
Students whose living arrangements had changed since the start of the autumn term 2020 indicated that their well-being and mental health had worsened (71%), which was statistically significantly higher than those whose living arrangements had stayed the same (62%).
A third (33%) of students reported being dissatisfied with their academic experience since the start of the autumn term 2020 and over half (57%) reported being dissatisfied with their social experience since the start of the autumn term 2020; this was a similar proportion as January 2021.
Over a quarter (26%) of students reported feeling lonely often or always. This compared with just 8% of the adult population in Great Britain over a similar period (Figure 1). This is the first time we have collected information on student loneliness.