The COVID-Kids project
During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, the research project COVID-Kids was launched in order to examine children’s well-being, their learning experiences and perceptions during the pandemic. The voice of children is largely absent during this global pandemic despite the Convention on the Rights of the Child and despite the need for their participation and well-being to help us achieve sustainable development. Two studies have been conducted and explored the subjective well-being as well as the experiences of children and adolescents during the first year (2020: COVID-Kids I) respectively the second year of the pandemic (2021: COVID-Kids II).
The research project COVID-Kids used a mixed-method approach comprising a questionnaire and interviews. The anonymous questionnaire was online from the 6th May until the 14th July 2020 and was completed by 680 children in different countries.
The questionnaire focused on three broad sections:
- General information on the participants
- Life and school before the pandemic
- Their well-being is mainly related to the difficulty, quantity and content of school work during school closure, the fear of getting ill and the satisfaction with the way adults listen to children.
The interviews were carried out with 22 children aged 8-16 in Luxembourg.
Next to the key findings, the study gives some recommendations to improve children’s well-being and help minimise or even avoid long-term negative impacts on the physical and mental health of young people in the future.
The study COVID-Kids II examined the subjective well-being and daily experiences of children aged 6-16 at home and at school, their attitudes and preferences as well as their participation and mental health, via an online questionnaire (621 children) and interviews (22 children).
The findings and recommendations presented in the report and below are based on quantitative and qualitative data. This data was collected between May – July 2021 and September – October 2021.
BIEN-ÊTRE SUBJECTIF ET EXPÉRIENCES QUOTIDIENNES DES ENFANTS DE 6 À 16 ANS PENDANT LA PREMIÈRE VAGUE DE LA PANDÉMIE COVID-19 AU LUXEMBOURG
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SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND STAY-AT-HOME EXPERIENCES OF CHILDREN AGED 6-16 DURING THE FIRST WAVE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN LUXEMBOURG
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L’IMPACT DE LA PANDEMIE DE LA COVID-19 AU LUXEMBOURG EN 2021 : LES ENFANTS DE 6 A 16 ANS PARTAGENT LEUR BIEN-ETRE SUBJECTIF ET LEURS EXPERIENCES.
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THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN LUXEMBOURG IN 2021: CHILDREN AGED 6-16 SHARE THEIR SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND EXPERIENCES.
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Children’s life satisfaction dropped significantly from 96% (before the pandemic) to 67% (in 2020). During the second year of the pandemic, 43% of the older children (12-16 years) reported that their satisfaction had decreased.
The emotional well-being decreased, particularly among girls, older children and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
During both years of the pandemic, children’s well-being has mainly been related to the difficulty, quantity and content of the schoolwork during school closures, the reported levels of school satisfaction and the satisfaction of how adults listen.
Children missed their friends (37%) and family (37%) the most, when schools were closed and they had to stay at home.
In 2020, 32% of children said that they were often worried that they or someone close to them would get sick. One year later, of the younger children, 19% and of the older children 36% are still often worried of falling ill.
Children were way less physically active during the pandemic. During the first year of the pandemic, 46% of secondary school students reported spending a lot of time “doing nothing”.
In 2021, on average young children spent 2 hours and the older 3.5 hours per day on electronic devices. Of the older children, 3 out of 4 agreed that these devices helped them to feel better during the pandemic.
During the 2nd year of the pandemic, absence rates in schools were high: 43% of the younger children and 55% of the older children missed more than 4 weeks.
Satisfaction with the way that adults listened is important for their well-being: 54% of the younger and 33% of the older children were satisfied with this aspect of their lives.