New Survey: Two of Three U.S. College Students Say Mental Health Challenges Impact Academic Work

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Oct 29, 2024, 09:00 ET

Kahoot!'s latest student survey reveals widespread challenges with student engagement, more than 40% of college students have skipped an exam, most often due to lack of preparation or anxiety; over half of students say they need better study habits

OSLO, Norway, Oct. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Kahoot!, the global learning and engagement platform company that provides immersive study resources and academic support to millions of students worldwide, today released a new survey with data revealing that college students are grappling with significant mental health challenges that impact their academic work on a regular basis. According to Kahoot!'s inaugural Study Habits Snapshot 2024, two out of three college students said mental health negatively impacts their ability to study or complete academic work several times a month or more; half of the students surveyed reported overwhelming stress or anxiety on a weekly or daily basis.

"Studying is part of life for college students, but for too many of them, it's anxiety-producing," said Kahoot! Vice President Sean D'Arcy. "Today's students are balancing work, life, and academic demands—and the result seems to be too little sleep and too much stress. While many stressors are out of their control, time management—which was the biggest studying-related challenge students identified in the survey—is a skill that can help reduce some academic anxiety. Using technology to create a more interactive study experience can help students fit studying in the corners of their complex schedules, and make studying not only less stressful but also more efficient and fun."

The release of the survey comes during a tumultuous period for U.S. college students and faculty with a growing number of students reporting serious mental health conditions, as well as widening campus unrest in response to global events and the U.S. elections. At the same time, college and university instructors continue to grapple with the rapid rise of generative AI and its impact on classroom instruction, adding complexity to an already fast-changing environment for both students and educators.

The regionally representative survey asked 1,000 current higher education students (including those in certificate, 2-year, 4-year, and graduate programs) about their study habits, mental health, use of technology, and sleep habits. The results offer a snapshot of the student experience and insights into the connection between academic habits and mental health. While 42% of students said they spend 10 or more hours a week studying, they may not be making the most of this time. Almost half (47%) struggle with procrastination and time management, and more students struggle with procrastination than with distractions from technology or distractions from people (38% each).

Students in the survey reported more negative emotions than positive ones while studying, with anxiety (41%), boredom (39%), and frustration (37%) being the most common emotions felt during study sessions. While not a solution to many of the underlying causes of poor mental health that students identified in the survey, better study habits, research-based study approaches, and related digital tools can help reduce the negative emotions students associate with studying. Research shows that using better study techniques can even reduce test anxiety.

The study also revealed the following insights:

Challenges in Studying

Attendance and student engagement issues are commonplace: over 40% of college students have skipped an exam due to issues such as anxiety or a lack of preparation, indicating challenges that parallel the increased absenteeism also observed in K-12 schools.
Time management and procrastination are major hurdles: Nearly half (47%) of students cited time management as one of their top three challenges when studying.
The pandemic impacted focus: 41% of respondents said their ability to stay focused for long periods decreased as a result of the pandemic. This was highest among the youngest cohort in the survey (18-22 year olds): 48% of this group said their ability to stay focused decreased.

The State of Studying and Mental Health

Mental health impacts academics: Students face significant mental health challenges, with over half (51%) experiencing overwhelming stress or anxiety weekly or daily. Additionally, 50% have difficulty sleeping, 52% have trouble concentrating on tasks, and 48% say they lack motivation or interest in activities several times a week or every day.
Sleep deprivation is a significant issue: Only about 1 in 4 college students report getting the recommended 8 or more hours of sleep per night. Alarmingly, 31% report getting 5 or fewer hours of sleep each night on average.

Looking Ahead: Improving Study Habits and Student Engagement

Better study habits could lead to improved academic performance: More than half (54%) of students believe that better study habits would improve their studying. Students who reported excellent or good study skills also reported more positive emotions while studying.
Digital tools and AI are becoming essential for studying: A majority of students (63%) consider digital, interactive study tools an important part of their learning process. Moreover, 70% of students are already using AI for studying, completing assignments, or both.
Students can study smarter: 96% of students reported re-reading notes to study (67% doing so often, 29% sometimes), making it the top study approach in the survey. But research shows that recalling facts or information—a process known as retrieval practice— is a much more effective study approach. By spending less time reviewing notes and more time recalling information, students can study smarter.

This survey was conducted online within the United States via a survey panel on the Qualtrics platform from August 30 to September 22, 2024. A total of 1,013 current college students participated in the survey. Respondents include a mix of 2- and 4-year degree seekers, graduate students, and those seeking non-degree credentials from public, private, and for-profit institutions.

View the full survey landing page to explore more insights from the study.

About Kahoot!:
Kahoot! is on a mission to make learning awesome! We want to empower everyone, including children, students, and employees to unlock their full learning potential. Our learning platform makes it easy for any individual or corporation to create, share, and host learning sessions that drive compelling engagement. Launched in 2013, Kahoot!'s vision is to build the leading learning platform in the world. Since launch, Kahoot! has hosted hundreds of millions of learning sessions with over 11 billion participants (non-unique) in more than 200 countries and regions. The Kahoot! Group includes Clever, the leading US K-12 EdTech learning platform, together with the learning apps DragonBox, Poio, Drops, Actimo, Motimate, and Whiteboard.fi. The Kahoot! Group is headquartered in Oslo, Norway with offices in the US, the UK, France, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Spain and Poland. Kahoot! is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker KAHOT. To learn more, visit us at kahoot.com. Let's play!

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