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- One-third of college students report that they “quietly quit” or prioritize their mental health and work-life balance over schoolwork.
- That’s based on the results of a new survey of 1,000 current students between the ages of 18 and 24.
- Experts suspect the trend could be the result of changes in education during the pandemic.
Calm quit smoking is becoming more popular among American workers, due in part to pandemic-related exhaustion.
Now, new data shows that college students are jumping on the bandwagon, with a third of these people reporting putting less effort into schoolwork in an effort to preserve their mental health.
Quietly quitting refers to employees who don’t go above and beyond in the workplace and only do exactly what their job description requires, according to Gallup. In the school setting, the definition refers to students who only do what is required in the courses and do not go all out or go the extra mile.
A Smart.com A survey of 1,000 community, public, and private college students revealed that more than one-third put only a little or little effort into their schoolwork, while one in five reported that their school-life balance is unhealthy .
Additionally, 60 percent of respondents agreed with the statement “Cs get degrees,” meaning students don’t need to go any further in the classroom in order to graduate.
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When asked specifically about their schoolwork habits, 34 percent of students said they don’t go above and beyond what’s required and 30 percent said they just put “some” effort into the work.
Most of these people said they do so in an effort to preserve their physical and mental health. Other reasons provided included procrastination, not having enough time, and feeling too comfortable with low expectations.
Class formats could also play a role in quitting smoothly, with “64% of college students somewhat (40%) or strongly (24%) agreeing that they put less effort into their online classes than in face-to-face classes,” the authors wrote.
Students tended to rank their mental health as a priority over schoolwork, while 21 percent reported feeling “stressed” about their classes this semester. Good grades, physical health, relationships, and finances all ranked below the importance of mental health.
When it comes to GPA, college students agree that a lower GPA will make it more difficult to get a job after college, even though evidence saying the opposite. However, many report little effort and lack of enthusiasm for their classes.
“After being forced to often adapt to remote learning during their college years, where non-educational activities and student interaction, which are often activities that support mental health and engagement [were less frequent]It’s no surprise that this group has put this at the forefront of their needs, whether they’re still in school or looking for their first post-school position,” career strategist Stacie Haller told Intelligent.com.
Students seeing their parents prioritize work-life balance and mental health, and an increased focus on preserving mental health in the media, may have contributed to this growing trend, Haller continued.
“Just like in the workforce, educational institutions need to address different and more significant challenges of their respective populations and their changing needs.”
The survey was conducted online between September 2 and 7, 2022, and all participants were between the ages of 18 and 24. Most of the respondents were full-time students.
