MONTREAL -- According to a recent study, youth in Canada are feeling the impact of COVID-19 on their friendships and academic work, as uncertainty remains whether students will return to classes in the fall.
Eight out of 10 respondents in an Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) survey said COVID-19 had a negative impact on their school year with 66 per cent saying it impacted their academic success a lot or some.
The study found girls more than boys want to be back in the classroom with 85 per cent of females responding that they are looking forward to going back to school, 11 per cent more than their male counterparts. Almost 15 per cent more females are worried that they won’t be able to return to class in the fall than males.
Those who feel strongly about returning to school also “strongly disagree” that there will be a second wave of the virus in the fall, according to the study.
When it comes to friendships, almost one-in-four (24 per cent) said COVID-19 has had “a lot” of negative impact on their relationships with friends. Thirty-one per cent said it had some negative impact on friendships.
The ACS study was done in partnership with Experiences Canada polled 344 youth between 12 and 17.
