How are Gen Z responding to the coronavirus pandemic?

Our snapshot survey

We ran a snap survey to understand how university students and young people are responding to the coronavirus pandemic in the UK. Having run the survey for just a few days (27 – 30 March 2020) and received nearly 1,000 responses, we’re able to outline trends in student behaviour during the unprecedented government lockdown.

We found that Gen Z are taking isolation seriously. They’re proactively taking care of their wellbeing by staying in touch with their friends, discovering new hobbies and practising mindfulness. However, they are still affected by the isolation, with their feelings about future career plans hardest hit – over 30% of students are worried that they’ll struggle to get a graduate job as a result of the pandemic. For those already in a recruitment process, just under 50% are still going ahead, with either minimal impact on the process or with their assessments moved to an online system – showing a level of agility from graduate employers. It becomes apparent that the key to supporting students in this trying time, and to rebuilding their confidence, is regular communication from future employers on what they’re up to and how they’re responding to the situation.