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Survey Results (DAugust 3, 2021
Public Relations and Research Department & Student Committee
National Federation of University Co-operative Associations

About this survey
Survey method: Web survey (call for respondents were done via NFUCA website and social media)
Survey targets: Undergraduate and graduate students across Japan
Survey period: Monday, July 5, 2021 - Monday, July 19, 2021
Number of responses: 7,832 responses
Notes on the results of the questionnaire• As the survey was anonymous, non-students may have responded, multiple responses may have been made, and incorrect responses may
have been submitted.
• There are biases, such as a high number of responses from certain universities and academic years.

Do you have a satisfying student life?
1st year

69.7% of respondents said it was satisfying, the highest rate of all years. Some, however, said they still did not
feel like university students.

Satisfied

6.5%

Dissatisfied

ü College classes and assignments seem
typical to me, and I feel like I havebecome a college student.
ü Studying what I want and building
relationships with people are bothpossible.
ü Despite their limitations, I am able to takepart in extracurricular activities and club
activities.

19.7%
23.9%

50.0%

2nd year

SatisfiedSomewhat satisfied
Somewhat dissatisfied
Dissatisfied

53.7% of the respondents said that they were satisfied. Many of the respondents said that they were satisfied
because they were able to go to school and make more friends than last year.

Satisfied
15.6%

30.7%

12.2%

4th year
13.2%

11.7%
31.2%

32.5%
41.2%
14.6%

Dissatisfied

ü Having faced-to-face classes now allows
me to live like a university student.
ü There are things I can do online that Ithought I couldn't (classes, clubs,committee activities, etc.).
ü My social circle has grown since lastyear, and I enjoy learning new things.

41.5%

3rd yearü I do not feel like I have a chance toexperience real university life because I
go to school less than ten times in total
and my club activities are limited.
ü Online classes are also an issue for me. I
have no idea who my teachers are or
who my classmates are, especially in ondemand classes.
ü There is not as much time to enjoy
myself as when I was in high school.

39.7%
15.9%

ü While I couldn't go to university, I spent agreat deal of time managing to turn in as
many assignments as possible.
ü Since I entered the university, I neverexperienced campus life as I hadenvisioned.
ü Even though we pay normal tuition, faceto-face classes are few, and many
facilities are restricted.

Students tend to find it less satisfying than their first- and second-year peers.
It seems that they miss the interaction and experience from before the pandemic.

Satisfiedü I can take a lot of classes
online.
ü It's easy for me to do researchin my laboratory every day.
ü I have found a job and havemore time to spend with myfriends.

Dissatisfied
ü Since I cannot attend school and I am
not able to participate in club activities, I
feel stagnant.
ü There is no time for me to spend with myfriends during breaks or after school.
ü I don't know why I enrolled at theuniversity anymore.

Things students want to doafter the pandemic ends

The number of friends at the university
7000

1st year

6077

6000

0 friends
1-4 friends
5-9 friends
10-19 friends
20-49 friends
50 friends or more

2nd year
3rd year
4 yearth5000

4583

4375

4000
3000
1773

2000

1575
759

1000

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

0100%

[1st year] How many friends have you made at university? / [2nd year] How many friends do you have at university now?

Among first-year students, 5.8% said they had no friends. So, it appears that morethan 90% of them can make friends. 7.3% of the current sophomores who started
their first year when the pandemic hit said they had no friends. Approximately 27.7%of those surveyed in July 2020 indicated that they made friends during the previousyear. Students in their first and second years tend to have fewer friends than those in
their third and fourth years.

Meet
Go on a Go on afriends in domestic
trip
persontrip
abroadStudyabroad

Get apart-timejob

Go todriving
school382375

None inparticular

Other

It seems there is a desire to enjoy things that are
currently restricted after the pandemic ends. The
majority of respondents chose both “meet friends
in person” and ”go on a domestic trip” or “go on atrip abroad”.

Things students are struggling with
Hybrid classes are hardü Face-to-face classes are scheduled in
between online classes, so thecommute takes up the time that would
normally be spent taking on-demandclasses.
ü It is hard to predict how many times I
will have to commute, and I havetrouble purchasing a commuter pass.
ü Having to switch between face-toface and online classes makes it hard
to make plans, so I can't get a parttime job, which lowers my income.

Wanting to feel like I'm in college
ü Because of the pandemic, I have noconcept of what college is like in thefirst place.
ü Sadly, I feel like I'll graduate without
attending any lectures in person.
ü I want to get an experience I can only
get as a college student.

My job hunting is affectedü Because I am unsure how long thissituation will continue, I am extremely
worried about the future.
ü During a job interview, if I am asked,"What did you focus on during youruniversity years?", I don't know if I
have any good answers.
ü I don't know how to do job hunting
online, let alone how to do it properly.
There is no one to ask for advice.

Message to the university, society
and the government
Look at what's happening to college students!

Are young people bad? We are doing our bestü While society is progressing in various ways, I cannot
understand why the time has stood still since last year withall the restrictions placed on my college life.
ü Just a few steps away from entering the workforce, wenow live in an environment where we are most cut off fromsociety. Please remember that there are university
students as well.
ü I think society doesn’t recognize the university student
situation enough. I think many first- and second-year
university students feel isolated currently.
ü There is little support for university students, so much sothat I wonder if we are included as “citizens.”ü When there is a tendency to blame the young while also
claiming that they will create the future society, I can only
feel uneasy about it.
ü Mass media should stop blaming the youth. Often, when
you say young people, you mean people in their 20’s or
30’s, but to most viewers, they seem like college students.
ü When I see people drinking, it annoys me. Some people
have lost their part-time jobs and are somehow living off of
their scholarships.

Words of appreciation were also given to university officials and to support provided to university students.
Several survey respondents indicated that they are thinking about how they can make a positive difference in their lives. Inaddition to studying everyday, students also gain qualifications, study languages in preparation for their future, as well as
pursue hobbies and part-time jobs.
If you have any questions, please contact the NFUCA Student Committee (nfuca-gakusei@univ.coop).