What the Unifresher audience is telling us right now
Quick first-party audience polls give us an ongoing read on student attitudes between larger structured studies. Every result publishes the response total, collection date, raw counts and an indicative-evidence label.
Say they will not really start thinking about uni work until October
More than half selected the latest option, while the remainder were split between thinking about work before arrival, during Freshers or straight after it.
View the full poll result →What we’re asking students next
The Polls hub is an ongoing research programme, not a fixed campaign. New questions are added throughout the year to track how student priorities, pressures and behaviour are changing.
- 01
How do you feel about the city you are studying in compared to your expectations?
Student life - 02
When does your student loan actually run out each term?
Money - 03
What is your go-to solution when money gets really tight?
Money - 04
How much did where you went to university affect your social life?
Student life - 05
Which month of the academic year do you find hardest financially?
Money - 06
How do you feel about your university's value for money?
University - 07
What is the most useful thing a brand could actually offer students right now?
Brands - 08
How are you feeling about starting or returning to university this September?
Freshers - 09
What is the first thing you spend money on when a new term starts?
Money - 10
How likely are you to stay in the same city after you graduate?
Cities
Fourteen snapshots of student attitudes
From university costs and accommodation to careers, subscriptions, transport and the first weeks of term. Every result is published with its response total and collection date.
Say they will not really start thinking about uni work until October
101 responses · 4 Sep 2026
Primarily walk around their university city day to day
98 responses · 2 Sep 2026
Spend less than 10% of their weekly budget on treats
59 responses · 28 Aug 2026
Say no subscription service is absolutely essential
105 responses · 26 Aug 2026
Say cheaper on-campus food is what they wish their university did better
140 responses · 24 Aug 2026
Feel fairly confident about graduate career prospects
20 responses · 19 Aug 2026
Say price and affordability matters most when choosing where to live
21 responses · 17 Aug 2026
Rarely eat out or get a takeaway because they cook everything
21 responses · 12 Aug 2026
Say workload is their biggest worry for the next academic year
42 responses · 10 Aug 2026
Start looking for student accommodation six or more months ahead
18 responses · 7 Aug 2026
Would scrap tuition fees if they could change one thing about student loans
22 responses · 5 Aug 2026
Use Instagram and TikTok to find out what's happening in their city
20 responses · 3 Aug 2026
Say loneliness is the biggest thing nobody tells you before starting uni
250 responses · 23 Jul 2026
Say rent being higher than expected was the biggest financial shock
26 responses · 20 Jul 2026
Current programme: 14 published first-party audience polls with 943 total responses. Polls are kept separate from the larger structured Student Experience Survey.
Go deeper with the Student Experience Survey 2026
Explore 15 questions from 500 UK student respondents covering money, housing, wellbeing, careers, AI and university choice in one structured research report.
Explore the survey →Exact totals, visible fieldwork, careful wording
Poll percentages are tied to raw counts, collection dates stay attached to the finding and small audience polls are not used to make population-wide claims.
Read the poll standards →