Not only are businesses and store owners concerned about what the future brings, so are students. Their minds are racing around how they will return to campus, what the school year will look like, and if they should return to campus in the fall. NACS OnCampus Research surveyed students in March and resurveyed them again in May to find out how they are feeling about the pandemic. Here are their responses.
- 80% (down from 85% in March) said they are uncertain or anxious about school
- 47% (down from 54% in March) said they are confused school
- 30% (up from 24%) said they feel hopeful
The amount of people feeling annoyed (74%), isolated (69%), helpless (51%), and angry (52%) has gone up since March. Only 12% have a sense of connection to their community and 68% expressed sadness. These are all reasons why we are seeing an increasing number of students rethinking their college plans. Here’s how students responded to returning to campus.
- 17% (up from 10%) are considering not returning to school
- 14% (up from 7%) are considering switching to online classes permanently
- 38% (up from 32%) may start a temporary job
- Roughly twice as many students are considering switching majors or transferring schools
We are still uncertain what fall will bring, but we encourage you to continue working toward opening your store with safety measures in place. Some college stores have started opening including Crowder College Bookstore and The Boutique and Books Store at Navarro College. Please reach out to your Account Manager for guidance and share your experience in the comments. Together we will get through the pandemic!
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