Last month nearly 500 students at Christ Church completed a survey which asked how the Cost of Living & Learning Crisis was affecting them.
Introduction
Last month nearly 500 students at Christ Church completed a survey which asked how the Cost of Living & Learning Crisis was affecting them.
It was really difficult for us to read exactly how deeply the Cost of Living & Learning Crisis is affecting students at Christ Church, and we are committed to doing whatever we can to help. We have read every single one of your comments and have taken each of your suggestions on board. This is a short summary so that you can see what we found out as a result of our research.
Your Health & Wellbeing
This is obviously concerning and we want to make sure that you all feel supported to be able to continue with your studies. The Cost of Living Hub details the support available to you, including a range of hardship funds and living support savings to help you live and study.
Some of you said that you would like some more information about ways to save money and how to manage your finances. On the Cost of Living Hub you will find a range of information about saving and making money.
It was clear from your responses in this section that your mental health has been significantly impacted by the Cost of Living & Learning Crisis. It is incredibly important to note that there is support out there for students who are struggling with their mental health. As the Survey was anonymous we are unable to reach out personally to affected students, but please get in touch with University’s Wellbeing Team at any time, you do not have to deal with it alone – there are people who can help you.
Physical health is also being impacted by the crisis – either due to affordability of prescriptions, or the fact that you are unable to afford healthy foods. It is worth checking whether you qualify for free prescriptions and dental costs under the NHS Low Income Scheme.
Key Findings
Our survey was largely based on the recent research from the NUS, but we decided to include some questions about sex work – this is because Save the Student’s recent research found that increasing numbers of students are turning to sex work to make money at university, and it is important for us to know whether this is the case at Christ Church so that we know how best to support students.
We compared your responses to the national results from the NUS survey, and your responses to this question indicated that the Cost of Living & Learning Crisis is impacting students at Christ Church more significantly than it is nationally:
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Christ Church students were less likely than students nationally to feel that student finance payments cover the cost of energy bills, living comfortably, transport to university, educational materials and a weekly shop.
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Nearly two thirds of you said that you have less than £100 a month to live on after bills.
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1 in 10 of you have needed to use a food bank.
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Nearly half of you said that you are ‘extremely concerned’ about your ability to manage financially.
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4.7% of you said that you had done sex work in the past year, compared to 3% in Save the Student’s survey. We will be looking closely at your responses to this question and considering the ways in which we can support those of you who are doing sex work.
Help & Support
Your Students’ Union is committed to supporting students through the Crisis.
At Canterbury, we have recently opened Tea & Toasty, which offers a warm place for students as well as free food and drinks. At Medway, we offer at least weekly free hot drinks and snacks in Touchdown and this will continue throughout the academic year.
As well as directly supporting you, and working with the University to further support you, your Students’ Union is campaigning locally, regionally, and nationally to ensure students are not forgotten in the Crisis. You can find out everything we are up to on our Cost of Living & Learning Crisis Trello Board.
For other support with navigating the Cost of Living & Learning Crisis take a look at:
Thank you once again for completing our survey. If you have any further questions, suggestions, or you require further support with the issues raised in the survey, please get in touch with us:
Canterbury Campus: hello@ccsu.co.uk
Medway Campus: medway@ccsu.co.uk