#RealCollege Survey (Fall 2020)
Overview
The #RealCollege survey provides insight into challenges faced by students such as food insecurity, housing insecurity and homelessness. The 2020 survey added questions to examine the impact of the ongoing pandemic on students’ health, access to and knowledge of emergency aid and resources. In Fall 2020, invitations to complete the #RealCollege questionnaire were emailed to 26,810 Portland Community College students of which 3,726 (13.9%) of students responded.
Survey respondents were counted as experiencing food or housing insecurity or homelessness if they responded in need to at least one survey item in the corresponding category.
Fall 2020 survey findings
64% of PCC survey respondents experienced at least one form of basic needs insecurity.
More specifically,
- 41% of respondents experienced food insecurity in the prior 30 days,
- 56% experienced housing insecurity in the previous year, and
- 19% experienced homelessness in the previous year.
Students faced additional challenges due the ongoing pandemic.
- 31% of respondents had a close friend or family member sick with COVID-19 and 5% were also sick with COVID-19 and
42% experienced at least moderate anxiety. - Of those respondents who experienced basic needs insecurity, 11% used emergency aid but 33% had not heard of college emergency aid and
50% did not apply for college support because they didn’t know how. - 59% of respondents who experienced basic needs insecurity received some form of public assistance.
See PCC’s Report, a Hope Center publication, for an indepth understanding of the findings.
To request PCC’s Report in an alternative format, email research@pcc.edu
PCC Fall 2019 #RealCollege Survey Report is available to faculty and staff on the IE Spaces page