The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on College Students: An Online Survey

Thien Khai Tran, Hoa Dinh, Hien Nguyen, Dac-Nhuong Le, Dong-Ky Nguyen, An C. Tran, Viet Nguyen-Hoang, Ha Nguyen Thi Thu, Dinh Hung, Suong Tieu, Canh Khuu and Tuan A. Nguyen
Additional contact information
Thien Khai Tran: Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages-Information Technology, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
Hoa Dinh: Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages-Information Technology, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
Hien Nguyen: Computer Science and Mathematics Program, Penn State Harrisburg, Middletown, PA 17057, USA
Dac-Nhuong Le: Faculty of Information Technology, Haiphong University, Haiphong 180000, Vietnam
Dong-Ky Nguyen: Faculty of Basic Science, College of Food Industry, Danang 50000, Vietnam
An C. Tran: College of Information and Communication Technology, Can Tho University, Cantho 900000, Vietnam
Viet Nguyen-Hoang: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Ha Nguyen Thi Thu: Department of E-Commerce, Vietnam Electric Power University, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Dinh Hung: Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages-Information Technology, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
Suong Tieu: Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages-Information Technology, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
Canh Khuu: Center for Applied GIS of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
Tuan A. Nguyen: Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages-Information Technology, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 19, 1-19

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic, since its beginning in December 2019, has altered every aspect of human life. In Vietnam, the pandemic is in its fourth peak and is the most serious so far, putting Vietnam in the list of top 30 countries with the highest daily cases. In this paper, we wish to identify the magnitude of its impact on college students in Vietnam. As far as we’re concerned, college students belong to the most affected groups in the population, especially in big cities that have been hitting hard by the virus. We conducted an online survey from 31 May 2021 to 9 June 2021, asking students from four representative regions in Vietnam to describe how the pandemic has changed their lifestyle and studying environment, as well as their awareness, compliance, and psychological state. The collected answers were processed to eliminate unreliable ones then prepared for sentiment analysis. To analyze the relationship among the variables, we performed a variety of statistical tests, including Shapiro–Wilk, Mc Nemar, Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon, Kruskal–Wallis, and Pearson’s Chi-square tests. Among 1875 students who participated, many did not embrace online education. A total of 64.53% of them refused to think that online education would be the upcoming trend. During the pandemic, nearly one quarter of students were in a negative mood. About the same number showed signs of depression. We also observed that there were increasing patterns in sleeping time, body weight, and sedentary lifestyle. However, they maintained a positive attitude toward health protection and compliance with government regulations (65.81%). As far as we know, this is the first project to conduct such a large-scale survey analysis on students in Vietnam. The findings of the paper help us take notice of financial and mental needs and perspective issues for indigent students, which contributes to reducing the pandemic’s negative effects and going forwards to a better and more sustainable life.

Keywords: COVID-19; Vietnamese students; lifestyle; education; depression; sentiment analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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