A survey of the lives, hopes and concerns of undergraduate students across 15 countries as they enter the age of AI.
Top 10 Global Takeaways
At Chegg.org, we regularly take the pulse of the global student community on the issues that matter most to them. We are proud to present the 2023 Global Student Survey, our annual study of the lives, hopes, and concerns of students worldwide. Alongside the Global Student Prize, this study furthers our goal of supporting students and ensuring that they have a voice.
As in previous years, the Global Student Survey aims to discover what students think about the challenges emerging today in higher education and beyond – including matters of mental health, finances, and skills. This year, we thought it was imperative to also ask students about their views on Generative AI (or GenAI), in light of how rapidly this new technology is transforming higher education and the future of work. It is crucial to grasp students’ reactions to these changes, allowing us to offer insights from learners.
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In this year’s survey, we asked students in 15 countries a comprehensive range of questions about their own use of GenAI, how they think it changes the educational landscape, and how institutions should react in response. This report outlines a considerable number of important findings showing that students are embracing GenAI tools to help improve the quality of their education and to boost their skills in order to compete in the global economy.
Our survey finds that worldwide, 40% of students have used GenAI in their university studies. However, it’s clear they see room for improvement. Students want GenAI tools that provide accurate, reliable study support. Almost half (47%) of those who say they have used GenAI for their studies are concerned about receiving incorrect or inaccurate information. This could explain why among students who use GenAI for their studies, the least common use, at 26%, was step-by-step homework help. Crucially, according to our survey, the top priority for 55% of all students polled worldwide is the involvement of human expertise. An analysis of our internal research found that students are mainly using GenAI for writing tasks, and are not yet fully leveraging the technology for STEM subjects.
The ubiquity of GenAI is additionally calling into question what skills students will need for future employability. Will these new technologies change what students want (and need) from their higher education? Nearly two-thirds (65%) of students around the world believe that, given the availability of free GenAI tools, universities should change the way they assess students. And although our survey indicates that students are divided about the potential effects of GenAI on their working lives, one message is clear: 65% of students globally say that they would like their curriculum to include training in AI tools relevant to their future career.
In this year’s study, we also ask detailed questions about students’ mental health, an issue which has been brought into sharper focus since the pandemic. Addressing this head-on and helping students is a huge priority for us at Chegg. We are committed to supporting students holistically so that they can face the future with confidence and make the most of their educational journey. That’s why earlier this year, in partnership with five non-profit organizations, we launched the inaugural Global Student Mental Health Week – as well as partnering with another provider since 2022 to deliver our subscribers guided meditations and relaxation tools free of charge.
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Sadly, this year’s Global Student Survey largely confirms the picture of a global student population under stress. Nearly half (46%) of students worldwide have suffered academic burnout, and 54% have experienced daily feelings of anxiety; in countries like the US these figures are even higher (65% and 68% respectively). In these difficult times, students need – and deserve – all the support we can give them.
While there are important country and regional differences in how students are navigating their studies, this survey shows that globally, many face similar difficulties and uncertainties. Today, it is increasingly important to understand students’ experience on a truly global scale, as more and more of the world’s population embraces higher education. Although US higher education enrollment has been in decline since 2011,[2] according to UNESCO global student enrollment has doubled in the two decades leading up to 2020, with some areas (such as South and West Asia and East Asia and the Pacific) growing even faster.[3] By understanding the common problems facing today’s students, and sharing knowledge about their views, we hope that educators and policymakers are better equipped to create a positive higher education experience for all and join us in supporting the whole student.
[1] Our Chegg.org Impact Fund is run through the Tides Foundation.
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[2] College enrollment in the United States from 1965 to 2020 and projections up to 2031 for public and private colleges, Statista, 2022
[3] Higher education figures at a glance, The UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2022
ABOUT CHEGG.ORG
Chegg.org is the impact, advocacy, and research arm of Chegg, Inc. addressing the issues facing the modern student. For more information, visit chegg.org
ABOUT CHEGG
Millions of people all around the world learn with Chegg. No matter the goal, level, or style, Chegg helps learners learn with confidence. We provide 24/7 on-demand support, and our personalized learning assistant leverages the power of artificial intelligence (“AI”), more than a hundred million pieces of proprietary content, as well as a decade of learning insights. Our platform also helps learners build essential life and job skills to accelerate their path from learning to earning, and we work with companies to offer learning programs for their employees. Chegg is a publicly held company and trades on the NYSE under the symbol CHGG. For more information,
visit www.chegg.com
ABOUT THE RESEARCH
Chegg.org commissioned polling company Yonder Consulting to conduct the survey. Yonder Consulting interviewed 11,816 undergraduate students aged 18-21 in 15 countries between 31 July-16 August 2023. The countries included in the research are Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, the UK, and the US. Sample sizes ranged from 503 to 1,018 in each country. Global results represent the combined findings of the 15 countries studied. Yonder Consulting is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. For more details go to: www.yonderconsulting.com.