In their new discussion paper "Stress perception of higher education students: A socioeconomic analysis of stress-related demands and resources during two different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic", Dennis Meier, Stephan Thomsen and Martina Kroher investigate students’ stress perceptions during two phases of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021), when different educational, social, and economic restrictions were in place. The empirical results, based on two large-scale student surveys in Germany, showed that academic workload was consistently the primary source of stress for students in both years. Financial stress was particularly significant during the economic restrictions of 2020, and social contact was found to buffer perceived stress. The findings also suggest an association between perceived stress, decreased life satisfaction, and a higher risk of dropping out of higher education.
The discussion paper is available as LCSS Working Paper No. 22 and IZA Discussion Paper No. 18180, Bonn.
