Students have had a particularly tough time over the past year. Of specific concern is the effect of the pandemic on students’ financial wellbeing. So ahead of another uncertain academic year, we wanted to check in with our student community. We know the pandemic has greatly impacted their financial wellbeing – how is this still impacting students day-to-day?
Many students tend to work part-time in sectors that have been closed for large periods of this past year, meaning lots of students have seen a normally reliable source of income dry up.
For some, an extra source of income is simply a choice – a decision they take to increase the amount of disposable income they have. However, for a large number of students around the country, earning money on top of their student loans is necessary to cover their daily expenses. What options do these students contemplate to make up the shortfall?
This question is just one topic covered in our new 3-part insights and trends series about student financial wellbeing. For part 1, we asked students about their current attitudes to and values around money.
4 questions to understand students’ financial attitudes & values
The first of three mini-reports covers students’ answers to 4 questions:
- Are you currently working?
- Did/do finances play a part in your decision to study/continue to study?
- If you needed some extra cash, which of the following would you consider?
- What’s your favourite app or tool that helps you manage your money?
It was interesting to see the diversity of avenues students would consider if they needed more money – ranging from the ever-present ‘bank of Mum and Dad’ to more new-age, digital options that carry financial risk, such as engaging in cryptocurrency trading. Also insightful was the array of apps used by students to help them manage their money, providing a handy collection of resources staff can share with students.
The insights in this report will be of particular interest to support staff at universities and colleges, so they can familiarise themselves with the financial attitudes and values of students to be best placed to support students’ financial wellbeing over the coming year.
Download the report now and read about students’ financial attitudes & answers in detail!
Coming soon! Part 2 of our Student Financial Wellbeing Insights & Trends series, focusing on students’ thoughts on university approaches to financial wellbeing.
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