Research

Survey: Most College Students Feel Fine Going Back to Campus

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 08/12/20

A survey of college students found that most were comfortable heading back to campus. The survey was done by OneClass, a company that sells study guides posted by students and faculty.

The survey asked students entering their freshman, sophomore or junior years how they felt about returning to campus while COVID-19 cases were increasing. While 57 percent reported that they would feel "secure on campus" with safety measures in place, another 25 percent said they'd feel the same "no matter what safety measures were taken." Just 18 percent said they weren't comfortable returning to their campuses.

According to the company, safety measures referenced in the survey could include monitoring of symptoms of the coronavirus, social distancing, limiting access in common spaces and contact tracing.

A total of 241 colleges and universities were represented among the 18,190 respondents. Students attending Kansas State University were the most likely to say they would feel secure on campus no matter what safety measures were put in place. Riley County, where the university is located, has reported 477 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 121 were active on Aug. 7, 2020.

Students at San Francisco State University were the most likely to feel uncomfortable going back to campus. Eighty-four percent said they'd rather not. In that county, 7,548 cases have been reported as of Aug. 6. The survey reported that colleges in California represented nine of the 15 top schools where students were most uncomfortable with the prospect of returning to campus.

Additional survey results are available on the OneClass website.