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"Emergency Survey for University and Graduate Students" - Preliminary Results:
Understanding the Reality of University of Tokyo Students Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

As Japan grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, the lives of university students are undergoing significant changes.
The raison d'être of university cooperatives lies in supporting the lives of members of the university community. What changes are occurring in the lives of University of Tokyo students due to the spread of COVID-19? What worries and problems are students and graduate students currently facing? The University of Tokyo Cooperative wanted to quickly grasp the reality of student and graduate student life during this crisis, and in collaboration with university cooperatives nationwide, conducted an "Emergency! Survey of University and Graduate Students." We received responses from approximately 870 undergraduates and 225 graduate students at the University of Tokyo (as of April 29th). Nationwide, more than 35,000 students and graduate students participated in the survey.
Through this survey, it is necessary to concretize the future of university life and the themes that university cooperatives should address. Furthermore, by publishing the survey results, we hope to deepen the public's understanding of university and graduate students in this situation and contribute to the improvement of university life in the future.

<Caution>
Unauthorized use is prohibited. If you wish to use the data, please contact the University of Tokyo Co-op Board of Directors using the form below.
●University of Tokyo Consumer Cooperative　https://www.utcoop.or.jp/form/

<Aggregation Results>
★Undergraduate students...Please see the bottom of this page

★Graduate students... Please see here (updated 6/5)
https://www.utcoop.or.jp/cgaku/news/news_detail_5590.html
<Survey Overview>
Implementing body: National Federation of University Co-ops
Method of response: Response via web form (https://www.univcoop.or.jp/news_2/news_detail_1668.html)
Implementation period: April 22, 2020 - April 30, 2020 (This article analyzes responses received up to April 29)
Call for responses: Requests to each class of 1st and 2nd year students via the Co-op Committee mailing list, emails to subscribers of the University of Tokyo Co-op email magazine "withnavi", publicity on SNS (Student Committee Twitter, etc.), etc.
Number of responses: 869 from undergraduate students and 225 from graduate students at the University of Tokyo (as of April 29). (Total of 35,542 nationwide during the period)

*There is a possibility of responses from non-students due to anonymity, multiple responses, or inappropriate responses.

Please see here for the nationwide survey results:
https://www.univcoop.or.jp/covid19/enquete/index.html

【table of contents】

2.1 Living arrangements
2.2 Tuition and income
2.3 Classes and learning environment
2.4 Club activities
2.5 People to talk to and friends
2.6 Diet
2.7 Future prospects
2.8 Anxiety about student life
2.9 Free response 

2. analysis

2. Introduction: Respondents' grade

543 responses, or 62% of the total, were from first-year students.Including second-year students, students in the first two years of the program account for 79% of the responses. Therefore, we would like to further investigate the situation regarding students in the second year of the program. 

2.1 Type of residence

　Graph 1, approximately half of the students in every grade are students who live at home (those who commute from their parents' home). Among the remaining half of students who live away from home,a significant number are currently at home, meaning they are visiting their families, and this proportion tends to increase as the grade level decreases.The percentage of students currently living at home is in the 20% range for third and fourth-year students, but it rises to 39% for second-year students and 59% for first-year students. This means thatnearly 60% of first-year students who live away from home are visiting their families or haven't even come to Tokyo yet. On the other hand, this also40% of new students who live away from home are living in Tokyo. It is easy to imagine that this situation, occurring so soon after starting to live alone in unfamiliar Tokyo, is causing considerable mental stress.

From this point forward, we will use the following terms to distinguish between students: "Students living at home": those who normally commute from home; "Students living away from home": those who normally commute from lodgings other than their home; "Students living with parents": those currently living with their parents, including both students living at home and those living away from home who are visiting their families; and "Students living alone": those living away from home who are currently in Tokyo and not visiting their families. Thank you for your understanding.
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2.2 Tuition and income

As shown in Table 1, over 90% of students reported that their parents pay all of their tuition fees. On the other hand,11% of students reported that they use one or more of the following to pay for their tuition: tuition waivers, scholarships, or their own part-time job earnings. Thishighlights the need to pay attention to their financial situation.

Table 1: "Please tell us how you pay your tuition fees." Multiple responses were allowed, so the sum of the columns exceeds 100%.
 　the results of a question about "decrease in family income," which is a concern in this situationTable 2.28% of studentsresponded that their family income has decreased or decreased significantly. The percentage of families experiencing a decrease in income did not differ much by attributes such as academic year or commuting method, and was 27-30% across all attributes. What isparticularly serious is that even among students who use one or more of the following to pay for their tuition—tuition waivers, scholarships, or their own part-time job income—a total of 28 responses indicated that "family income has decreased." It can be assumed that these respondents are in a difficult situation where they are already unable to pay their tuition fees with family income alone, and this is compounded by the decrease in income.

Table 2 shows the total for all grades in response to the question: "To what extent do you think your household's 'family income' may be affected by this pandemic?" There was little difference even when narrowing down the results by grade or commuting method.
 　Graph2the percentage of students who have part-time jobs. Unsurprisingly,the part-time job rate for first-year students who have just entered school is overwhelmingly low, not even reaching 20%. It is customary for first-year students to start looking for part-time jobs once the new semester has settled down, but it is likely that a large number of first-year students will be unable to start part-time jobs in this situation.Table 3asks about changes in part-time job income, andnearly 70% of second- to fourth-year students who already have part-time jobs have responded that they expect a decrease in income. 

Table 3: "Please tell us about your outlook on part-time job income."
 　Graph 3shows the results of a survey on future financial anxieties. 47% of all respondents answered "very anxious" or "anxious." Among first to third-year students, those living away from home appear to feel more anxious.

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2.3 Classes and learning environment

　As is well known, the University of Tokyo has moved all its classes online. Table 4 shows the results of a survey asking whether "on-demand (using video materials)" or "synchronous interactive (where students and instructors can meet face-to-face and attend classes in real time)" is being used as theTheredoes not appear to be a significant difference in teaching format across academic years.

Table 4: "Please tell us about the current state of university classes." Since multiple responses were allowed, the row totals do not match the actual number of students. Next are the results regarding students' communication environments.The percentage of students who can use Wi-Fi via a fixed-line connection with a provider contract is high among first and second-year students, accounting for over 80% of the total. Itis slightly lower among third and fourth-year students, at over 70%. Mobile Wi-Fi accounted for 13% of the total.　Graph 4shows the relationship between the communication environment used for classes and the communication status. The grapheven with a provider contract, stability is not guaranteed.A total of 21 students responded that they "experience frequent interruptions and feel stressed. 

　Graph 5shows the results of a survey asking students about difficulties they face with online classes other than internet connection issues.first-year students have the most complaints. The percentage of students who feel "lonely" is high not only among first-year students immediately after enrollment, butthird-year students immediately after advancing to the later stages of the program. One complaint that stood out among first-year students was "lack of interaction and opportunities to ask questions to teachers," and this was more common among students living away from home. In addition,more than 10% of students are dissatisfied with online classes because they do not have their own dedicated space, and 90% of these students were living with their parents. This appears to be a serious problem as it prevents students from securing a good learning environment due to constraints in their home environment (which are difficult to resolve easily due to family circumstances, etc.). Furthermore, complaints about "not knowing how to use a computer" and "not knowing how to use the online class system" were frequently seen among first-year students,the existence of a group of students who are almost completely new to computers, unfamiliar with them, and lack adequate supportsuggesting

　Graph 6shows the results of a question asking about expectations for future university classes.Many first-year students expressed a desire for in-person classes to begin as soon as possible. On the other hand, as students progress through the academic years, the demand for the continuation of online classes tends to increase. Another question indicates thatapproximately one in four first and second-year students would like to see measures such as staggering the start date of the academic year. 

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2.4 Club activities

　We received responses from almost all first-year students and about 20% of second- to fourth-year students to the question, "Have you considered joining a club, circle, or extracurricular activity?" Based on this question, Graph 7 shows the results of our investigation into the circle membership status of first-year students and the percentage of first-year students who obtain information through social media,.Only 22% of first-year students have already joined a circleand the largest group, 39%, consists of first-year students who have decided on an activity they want to participate in but have not yet joined. It appears that many first-year students are hesitant to join because face-to-face orientation events are limited and it is difficult to get a feel for the atmosphere of circles. In addition,about 90% of first-year students who answered that they have decided on an activity they want to participate in said that they use social media to find information about circles.
　Graph 8shows the intention to join a circle by method of information gathering. While an overwhelming number of first-year students are looking for circles on social media, it can be seen that a considerable percentage of first-year students who do not use social media and rely on materials distributed at the time of enrollment have not yet decided on an activity they want to participate in. Thissuggests that social media plays an important role in choosing a circle and deciding which one to join.

Next,Graph 9shows the results of a survey conducted among second- to fourth-year students regarding recruiting new members for clubs and other organizations.that they are "having difficulty" recruiting new members for their clubs or that they have "no new members at all."respondedGraph 10shows the results of a survey asking about future prospects for clubs and other organizations.

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2.5 Advisers and friends

　Graph 11shows the results of a survey asking whether students have someone they can talk to about their problems.Over 80% of students, regardless of their year level, answered that they "have" someone to talk to, butof first-year students who answered "I don't have one, but I want one" was particularly noticeable. Furthermore, when we examined the differences based on current living situation (living with family vs. living alone) among first- to third-year students, who had a large sample size, the percentage of first- and third-year students living alone who answered that they "have someone to talk to" was about 6% lower than those living with family.

　Graph 12shows the results of a survey about who students turn to for advice when they have problems.For first-year students, friends from high school account for 76% of their main sources of advice, and the percentage of students who answer that they turn to friends from high school is higher among students who live at home.

　Graph 13analyzes the formation of new friendships among first-year students based on their club membership status. First,the number of new friends is unprecedented: 29% of first-year students have "0" new friends, and 34% have "fewer than 5" new friends.The weaker the new friendships, the lesslikely students are to have decided on a club. There was no clear correlation between friendships and living situation.

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2.6 Diet

　shows the percentage of people who do not eat three meals a day, based on a survey of the number of meals eaten per dayGraph 14. People currently living alone tend to skip meals more than those living with their families, and it appears thatabout 10% of first-year students living alone are living on two meals or less a dayanalyzes the eating patterns of students who eat two meals or less a dayGraph 15.The majority skip breakfast and combine it with lunch(first-year female, living at home)"only.

　Furthermore, regarding where they eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, 99.5% of those living with their parents answered "at home," while,Graph 16, approximately 85% of those living alone eat at home, and approximately 14% eat in the dormitory cafeteria.

　Next, we will examine the changes in eating habits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we will analyze the responses of second- to fourth-year students who are accustomed to university life.
　Graph 17showsthat their eating habits had "changed significantly" or "changed slightly."responded

　Graph 18shows the results of questions asked to 2nd to 4th graders who reported changes in their eating habits, specifically regarding the nature of those changes. Regardless of living arrangements, opportunities to eat out have decreased significantly.For those living alone, while opportunities to cook at home have increased considerably, there is some decrease in the frequency of meals and some irregularity in meal times. For those living with their families, the time spent on meals and the regularity of mealtimes have increased. This may be due to reduced commuting time, allowing for more relaxed mealtimes.

For first-year students, April is a time when their eating habits change significantly due to entering higher education, even under normal circumstances without COVID-19. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the extent to which COVID-19 has had an impact, and thus graphs are not provided. The trend is almost the same as for second- to fourth-year students, butthe increase in self-cooking opportunities and decrease in food intake among those living alone are slightly more pronounced than among upperclassmen.
 　show the results of the food expenditure surveyGraphs 19-21. For those living with their parents, there is almost no difference in food expenditure by grade level. However,for those living alone, there is a significant difference in the distribution of food expenditure between first-year students and second- to fourth-year students. First-year students tend to have lower food expenditures, and for second-year students and above, the food expenditure peak is divided into two.

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2.7 Future Outlook

　Graph 22shows the results of a survey about anxieties about the future, and it shows that 70-80% of students, regardless of their grade level, feel anxious. 

　Graph 23shows the results for students who answered that they "feel very anxious" or "feel anxious," asking whether their anxiety changed before and after the spread of COVID-19, and categorized by their desired career path. While many first and second-year students have not yet decided on their career path, among first to third-year students,those planning to enter the workforce are generally more likely to have answered that "anxiety arose or intensified due to the impact of COVID-19.On the other hand, among fourth-year students, a considerable number of those planning to enter graduate school have experiencedincreased anxiety. It is safe to assume that the uncertainty surrounding job hunting and graduate school entrance exams, respectively, is exacerbating their anxiety.

　students' outlook on the situation going forwardGraph 24.Nearly 60% of students expect the impact to continue throughout 2020 or beyond, and there is no clear prospect of a normal resumption of classes and a return to normal daily life in the A semester. While many first-year and fourth-year students anticipate an early resolution, this may be wishful thinking stemming from their recent enrollment and approaching graduation, respectively.

　Under these circumstances, we asked the following question to those currently job hunting or aiming to go to graduate school: What difficulties are you facing due to the impact of COVID-19? (Open-ended response) Responses included: • The schedule and format of graduate school entrance exams are unclear. Also, it's impossible to take the qualification exams required to apply to graduate school. (8 responses)
• Unable to complete graduation research, making graduation thesis work worrying. (3 responses)
• Job hunting schedules have been postponed, making the already confusing job market even more uncertain. (3 responses)
(2 responses) [
making it impossible to rely on their advice.
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2.8 Concerns about student life

　Graph 25shows the results of a survey on anxieties related to student life. There was little difference in response trends based on current living situation (living with family vs. living alone), so the data is shown by normal commuting pattern (students living at home vs. students living away from home) and by academic year.In all academic years, the biggest anxieties were about studying at university, the implementation of classes, and club activities, followed closely by "maintaining and building friendships within the university" among first-year students. First-year students were particularly concerned about the implementation of university events, likely due to the lingering effects of the cancellation of events from freshman orientation to the May Festival. Second-year students alsomore anxiety about obtaining qualifications and driver's licensesexpressedIn third and fourth years, many students expressed anxiety about job hunting and internships, with 40% of third-year students (almost all of those seeking employment) expressing concern about job hunting. It is alsothat 25-40% of first- to third-year students living away from home cited "financial problems,"indicating that financial issues are likely to arise depending on the length of their stay away from home.

　We will examine specific concerns in detail in the next section, "Free Responses."
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2.9 Free writing

, "We ask those who are currently job hunting or aiming to go to graduate school: What difficulties are you facing due to the impact of COVID-19?valid responses)38.

▲Figure 1: Analysis of co-occurring keywords in free-response answers regarding "problems related to job hunting and graduate school admissions." 

　The frequently mentioned keywords can be broadly classified into six categories, and as introduced in 2.7,graduation theses, research labs, graduate school entrance exams, and employmentmany voices express anxiety about the uncertain outlook in the fields ofexpressing the wish that libraries not be closedThere were also many voicesconcern about the loss of places for learning and research, and the disparity in book purchases, i.e., learning, due to economic status. It was striking to see opinions expressingFinally, please tell us anything you think about your current university life.shows the co-occurring keywords extracted from the free-response questionFigure 2.

▲Figure 2: Analysis of co-occurring keywords in free-response answers to the question "What do you think about your current university life?"

　We will examine these by dividing them into eight clusters, ① to ⑧, as meaningful groups.
 　① shows that there are a great many opinions regarding online classes.Particularly noticeable are the voices calling for the resumption of in-person classes as soon as possible, and almost all of these opinions came from first-year students. On the other hand, there were also a few voices, mainly from fourth-year students, that expressed a desire to continue online classes, such as "Online classes have their advantages, and I've gotten used to them," "I'm more productive online," and "Even if in-person classesresume, I.
 　, such as "It's very difficult to keep staring at the screen, but the support from the university is generous (first-year male, living alone)there were also voices that praised the university's support.
 　③ shows voices that directly express the pain of the current situation. "Because classes have gone online,it's difficult to make friends, and even if I don't understand something in class, there's no one to easily ask questions to, nor is there an opportunity, so I'm very worried about whether I can keep up with the classes and whether I'll be able to get the credits. Also, I'm overwhelmed with assignments, and it's really tough on my mental health (1st year female, living alone)." "I don't feel like a university student at all. (omitted)My life lacks structure, I can't concentrate in class, and I'm just drifting through my days, so if this continues, it will have a big impact on getting credits, etc. Going to school itself was a big part of adjusting my daily rhythm, so ifthis lifestyle continues,it will have a negative impact on my mental health.It's really tough that everything, from misinterpreting information to not understanding the class content, is entirely my own responsibility. I want a system where I can share tasks with others (1st year male, living at home)." These are just some of the strong concerns expressed about not being able to consult with others about studies or share information.
 　④ is about clubs and societies. Upperclassmen expressed concerns about the continuation of activities, saying things like, "Just thinking about when club activities and in-person orientation events will be allowed again, and how much fewer new members there will be compared to previous years, makes me depressed," and "I'm worried about how many people will want to participate again even if we resumeactivities." There wereto know what freshmen are thinking about choosing clubs and circles, and whether they plan to wait until after the coronavirus pandemic subsides. It seems that upperclassmen may need a platform to understand the situation of freshmen. First-year students alsoexpressed dissatisfaction with online formats and insufficient information about clubs, saying things like, "I'm fed up with online formats and don't want to participate in online orientation events, but I'm worried that I'll beleft behind if I don't," and "Information about club information sessions is mainly only being shared on Twitter, but some groups have already closed their membership applications, andIwish they would stop doing that for the sake of people who don't use Twitter.
 　" ⑤ mainly consists of comments from first-year students regarding computer use. Some students have expressed concerns such as, "When I use my computer, I quickly get distracted by social media and internet surfing, and end up not listening to even half of the lecture," "I'm so focused on my computer that the line between playing and studying becomes blurred," and "It's hard to hear the professor's voice when it's audio only. I can't concentrate without people around me, so I end up opening another tab on my computer, and the guilt I feel from that becomes stressful." For freshmen who have just entered university and are not yet accustomed to using computers for learning or for long periods of time, the sudden shift to online learning seems to be causing them to lose focus, which is a major source
 　of stress. ⑥ concerns building friendships.
Students living away from home, in particularhave expressed anxieties about relationships, saying things like, "I don't get to meet friends or get to know upperclassmen, so it's difficult to get information about classes and such," and "from a, so I don't have any friends in Tokyo, and I don't have the opportunity to meet classmates face-to-face or actively talk to them, so I'm worried that I'll end up being a loner at university."Studentsliving at home have also said things like, "I've given up on building normal friendships until the pandemic is over," and there have been numerous straightforward cries of "I want friends" from students living in different locations,revealing the harsh reality that building friendships has become almost impossible.
 　7 is a lament about the spread of infectious diseases, with complaints directed at society such as, "It's unfair that only students can't go to school," and "I want people who justify going out and delaying the containment of the infection to realize that their actions are causing trouble for others." On the other hand, there were also comments such as, "The different format from face-to-face classes is stimulating and good. There are some good things about it (1st year, living alone)" and "I probably won't have many opportunities to be at home like this, so I want to enjoy it! (1st year, living at home)."
 　Finally, 8 is about university life. There were many comments from first-year students lamenting the loss of what is supposed to be a normal university life, such as, "I don't feel like this is university life," "I'm really disappointed that I can't have the university life I had imagined," "I want to have a normal university life," and "I longed for and looked forward to what is considered atypical university lifeis tough.There were also voices requesting a delay in the start of the new semester and the start of classes, such as, "I wish they would at least change it to a September start. If I could be selfish, I'd like it to be delayed by a year. There's a possibility that I might graduate without experiencing the university life I imagined, and I might not be able to study abroad. I understand there are circumstances, but I hope they will also understand our feelings and make the best choice," and "If fall semester enrollment is possible, I earnestly hope for that, and I would be happiest if they couldrecreate the entrance ceremony as much as possible." One first-year student described the current situation as "losing something that symbolizes university life."
 　Finally, I would like to conclude by introducing a free-response comment from one of the respondents:
 Not only is there a transformation in university life, but society as a whole is changing, and I feel that there is great significance in the fact that various online initiatives have been institutionalized and promoted with compulsion at universities. However, with the uncertainty of the future still lingering, there are many things that cannot be solved by online learning, such as problems with interpersonal relationships, and there is nothing the university can do about them. I hope that the university cooperative will play a part in solving these problems and that it will do something that only the university cooperative can do.

 End