Even students who feel they belong want more of it  

New research from study support provider (and CMM advertiser) Studiosity finds most students feel they belong on campus.

The sense of engagement is especially strong among internationals – some 88 per cent of internationals feel they belong, compared to 78 per cent of Australian residents.

However, 58 per cent of the total sample, “crave closer ties.”

And people are polarised when it comes to a sense of connecting, with even numbers of enthused and alienated. Some 20 per cent of students surveyed reported they “wholeheartedly” feel they belong, with 21 per cent reporting no sense of community.  More men feel close connections (29 per cent) than women (18 per cent.)

Some 69 per cent of participants also report their sense of belonging effects their study experience and overall wellbeing – “powerful evidence that improving the sense of community is crucial, not only to individual academic success, mental health, and general wellbeing, but also for the higher education sector,” CEO founder Jack Goodman says.