A majority (53%) of South African students say they have trouble meeting new people and making friends, the second highest of any country surveyed after Australia (55%) and alongside the US.
More than two-thirds (67%) also say they have struggled with not sleeping enough, while 60% say they have experienced daily feelings of anxiety. Almost half (49%) say they have experienced academic burnout.
However, more than two years on from Covid lockdowns, South African students generally appear to have a positive outlook: 73% say that in general, all things considered, they feel happy, while 68% currently feel optimistic. But only around half (52%) of South African students surveyed feel their country is a good place to live – the second lowest of all countries after Turkey (47%).
The new findings are among those published today by Chegg.org, the non-profit arm of education technology company Chegg. They are based on in-depth opinion polling by Yonder Consulting of over 11 000 undergraduate students aged 18-21 years across 15 countries, including 503 students in South Africa.
The third Chegg.org Global Student Survey covers students’ views on learning in the age of AI, skills and careers, and their health, wellbeing and social attitudes.
“Our Global Student Survey shows that students around the world are stressed, lack sleep, and have trouble meeting new friends. There is a pressing need for robust mental health support, so learners can make the most of their education and face the future with confidence,” says Heather Hatlo Porter, head of Chegg.org and chief communications officer of Chegg, Inc.
The survey shows that 33% of South African students have used generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to help with their studies.
However, while South African students appear to view GenAI as a helpful learning support tool, they still see room for improvement, with 59% of all US students surveyed calling for the involvement of human expertise in generating answers.
Moreover, half 40% of the 33% who say they have used GenAI in their studies are concerned about receiving incorrect or inaccurate information.
“Although students are starting to adopt GenAI to support their learning, it’s clear they see room for improvement,” says Hatlo Porter. “Students want GenAI learning tools that provide accurate, reliable study support. Crucially, according to our survey, the top priority for improving the technology among all those surveyed in South Africa was 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. By elevating the voices of students and listening to their concerns, we can gain profound insights into how to support them.
“Crucially, as we enter this new age of AI, we will better understand how to harness the full potential of this technology, enabling students to learn how they want, what they want, when they want, and in their preferred format – which will ultimately help them on their lifelong learning journey.”
Among the 33% of South African students who say they have used GenAI in their studies, the main emotion that they feel when using GenAI for their studies is curiosity: 34% said they mainly felt curious, while 26% mainly felt empowered. Of the South African students who said they use GenAI for their studies, 37% said they input a question into GenAI tools once a day or more.
Among the South African students surveyed who have used GenAI in their studies, 62% said they used AI for researching for assignments and projects, and 61% to understand a concept or subject. A majority (58%) said GenAI helps them learn faster, while 46% it allows more creative use of learning (46%), and 45% said it helps them overcome their learning differences.
More than two-thirds (68%) of all South African students surveyed say that, in view of the availability of free GenAI tools, colleges/universities should change the way they assess students. Among this cohort, 59% say there should be better guidance on the acceptable use of GenAI tools in assessments, and 35% say there should be more monitored in-person assessments.
Students are also taking stock of how AI could affect their future careers. Just over one-third (37%) think their degree will be more useful in an AI-assisted workplace, while over a quarter (27%) think it will be less useful, or not useful at all. This includes 11% who believe their degree will have no use in an AI-assisted workplace, the highest of all countries surveyed alongside the US. Perhaps that is why the vast majority (70%) of South African students would like their curriculum to include training in AI tools relevant to their future career.
The survey also highlights students’ desire for lower tuition fees, with 71% of students surveyed in South Africa agreeing that they would prefer their university/college degree to take shorter time to complete if it was cheaper. Almost three-quarters (74%) say that they would rather their university offered the choice of more online learning if it meant paying lower tuition fees.
Survey results also show how students view their professors’ continued adaptation to technological change since Covid. A majority (63%) of South African students say that their teachers/professors know how to teach effectively online.
Key global findings of the study include:
* 40% of students worldwide say they have used GenAI for their university studies.
* 55% of all students surveyed worldwide say their top priority for improving GenAI is to see involvement of human expertise in generating answers. At the same time, one of students’ top concerns about using GenAI in education is receiving incorrect or inaccurate information – selected by 47% of the 40% globally who say they have used GenAI for their university studies.
* Of the 40% of students worldwide who say they have used GenAI for their university studies, 50% say they input a question into GenAI tools once or more a day – including 18% who say they do so six or more times a day.
* Of the 40% of students worldwide who say they have used GenAI for their university studies, 55% said they used AI commonly to understand a concept or subject, and 49% to research assignments and projects.
* 65% of all students surveyed around the world believe that given the availability of free GenAI tools, universities/colleges should change the way they assess students.
* 65% of students worldwide say that they would like their curriculum to include training in AI tools relevant to their future career.
* 67% of students worldwide say that if it was cheaper, they would prefer their university degree take a shorter amount of time to complete.
* 59% of students worldwide say they have experienced not sleeping enough, 54% have experienced daily feelings of anxiety, and nearly half (46%) have suffered academic burnout.
* 65% of students around the world say they currently feel optimistic, while just 16% say they currently feel pessimistic.
* 71% of students globally agree that their country is a good place to live.