Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-13-2023
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Public Policy Leadership
First Advisor
Melissa Bass
Second Advisor
Jody Holland
Third Advisor
Jean Gispen
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
COVID-19 caused an unprecedented dilemma for universities, the best method of continuing education during a pandemic. Different mitigation strategies were developed as higher education institutions transitioned back to in-person learning, and the effectiveness of these strategies depended largely on adherence by college students. COVID-19 remains a vastly unexplored research topic, and college students’ approval of mitigation strategies is largely untouched. This research answers the question: “Are University of Mississippi student perceptions of COVID-19 mitigation strategies correlated to demographics?” Through a mixed-methods survey that was sent to a random sample of full-time undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Mississippi, I identified a correlation between certain demographics and COVID-19 mitigation strategy approval including gender, sexuality, religion, political ideology, political party affiliation, and Greek affiliation. I also acknowledged mitigation strategies that were unpopular and popular overall, regardless of demographics. Based on these findings, I made policy recommendations that emphasize the significance of universities considering student demographics when creating policies, and the significant influence culture has on how individuals react to various policies and public health standard.
Recommended Citation
Couhig, Anna, "Student Perception of COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies and Correlation to Demographics at the University of Mississippi" (2023). Honors Theses. 2966.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2966
Accessibility Status
Searchable text
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.