51 % of technology students felt that they had been concerned about their own well-being several times or constantly during 2021. Only 15 % of respondents said that they had not worried about their well-being at all.
– The coping difficulties of students are extremely worrying. We take great care to choose the best students in the country, and then the labour market receives graduates who are already tired and burnt out, says TEK’s CEO Jari Jokinen.
The figures have risen over the three-year reference period. In 2020, 43 % of technology students worried about their well-being when in 2019 this share was 41 %. The last figure shows the situation was dire even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The overall well-being of technology students has worsened over the same reference period. While 70 % of students considered their overall well-being to be good or very good in 2019, this share had dropped to only 56 % in 2021.
– The results of the 2021 student survey were expectedly, and depressingly, even worse that the results of 2020, which means that there is a clear downward trend, says TEK’s Research Manager Susanna Bairoh.
Bachelor's students are more concerned about their well-being
Bachelor's students were more concerned about their well-being than master's students. 56 % of students working towards their bachelor's degree experienced worry either frequently or constantly. The same figure for master's students was 47 %. Half of the respondents to the survey were completing their bachelor's degree and half were working on their master's.
– Bachelor's students are more concerned about their well-being than before, even the men. Among master's students, women are clearly more concerned about their well-being than men, says Bairoh.
Uplifting messages are not enough
– Students feel that their problems are only addressed with supportive messages. Words are no longer enough. We want to be a part of the solution to this problem, says TEK’s Membership Officer Anniina Pokki.
Until the end of March, TEK is offering a free-of-charge chat service where students can discuss their worries anonymously with a trained peer volunteer. The chat is produced by Nyyti ry, an association that promotes student mental health, with TEK’s donated funds as part of the mielenTEKoja project.
About the survey
TEK conducts an annual student survey of its student members. The latest survey garnered responses from 3 260 students and the response rate was 18 %. The anonymous web survey was open in September 2021.