Law School Students Were Lonely, Depressed, And Worried About Food Insecurity And Eviction During Pandemic

The results of the latest Law School Survey of Student Engagement are quite concerning.

The data have exposed fissures that existed pre-COVID but have been exacerbated due to the pandemic. Now it is up to us to take to heart the data we have collected and analyzed. How can we make real change, the actual improvements that our students desperately need? This is the challenge we face ahead

Meera Deo, a Southwestern Law School professor who also serves as director of the Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE), in comments written in the LSSSE’s most recent report, The Covid Crisis in Legal Education. According to the ABA Journnal, 13,000 law students participated in the survey, and some incredibly shocking statistics were revealed:

  • 95% said COVID-19 interfered with their concentration
  • 87% said anxiety interfered with daily functioning;
  • 85% suffered through depression;
  • 69% had an increase in loneliness;
  • 43% had increased concerns about food insecurity; and
  • 29% worried about possible eviction and housing loss.

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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