(ANSA) - ROME, FEBRUARY 26 - Less than half (45%) of Italian students feel confident about their future finances, the second lowest figure of all the countries interviewed after Japan (31%).
By comparison, the countries in which students are most confident are China and Kenya (84%).
This despite only 6% of Italian students claiming to have a debt or a loan linked to their university studies, the lowest figure of any country interviewed together with Russia (6%).
These findings are among those published today by Chegg.org, the nonprofit arm of the Silicon Valley edtech Chegg company.
They are based on in-depth opinion polls by Yonder (formerly known as Populus) of nearly 17,000 college students aged 18-21 in 21 countries around the world, including 700 students in Italy.
The Chegg.org Global Student Survey is the most up-to-date and comprehensive survey on the life, hopes and fears of college students around the world in the COVID era and beyond.
Italian students claim to have spent an average of 27 hours a week studying during the lockdown for Covid-19: this is the highest figure of all the countries interviewed, equal only to Germany and Mexico (both 27 hours).
Argentina (26 hours), Russia and Spain (25 hours) follow.
47% of Italian students say they spent more time on their studies during the lockdown than before, compared with only 23% who said they spent fewer hours.
The survey also shows that a quarter (25%) of Italian students say that their mental health suffered during the period of Covid-19, the lowest figure of all 21 countries surveyed along with Russia (29%).
At the same time, only a third (33%) of Italian students think that ethnic minorities are well represented in their university, the third lowest figure of any country surveyed after South Korea (11%), Japan (18%) and Malaysia (25%).
Over nine out of 10 Italian students (92%) say that their university stopped teaching face-to-face during the COVID-19 pandemic, the third highest figure of all the countries surveyed after Japan (96%) and Brazil (93 %).
The global survey results show that Italian students agree with their peers in all 21 countries when it comes to how higher education should cover online learning.
Two-thirds (65%) of students from all surveyed countries say they would prefer their university to offer the option of more online teaching if it meant paying lower tuition fees.
Across all 21 countries surveyed, the number of students who would prefer their university to offer the option of higher online teaching if it meant paying lower tuition is significantly greater than students who do not want that option.
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