The Healthy Minds Survey is now live for University of Wisconsin graduate and undergraduate students through March 17.
The Healthy Minds Survey is a national survey, created by the University of Michigan, designed to assess the mental health of college students across the country. Campuses nationwide can choose to partake in the survey, according to the Healthy Minds Network.
The survey is sent out once every three years. This is UW’s fourth time administering the survey on campus, according to University Health Services Director of Prevention Services Katherine Loving.
“It’s done every three years to make sure we’re tracking the quantitative data about how our students are doing,” Loving said. “And we use that data to make decisions about resource allocation, strategies and practices that we’ll use on campus to support student mental health, as well as making decisions at UHS about service delivery from this survey.”
As this is a national survey and there are national results, UW gains results specifically for their campus, Loving said.
The survey is open now, with data collected through March 17. The data will be analyzed over the summer and information should be ready for sharing with both campus partners and students in the fall, according to Loving.
While UHS has had good response rates in past years with the survey, they are seeking more participants now than in previous years, Loving said.
Following the Healthy Minds Survey results in 2022, there were many concerns over students’ well-being post-pandemic, according to Loving. As a result, UHS added mental health providers to the UHS mental health services staff, as well as created programs such as Togetherall and the Uwill program, Loving said.
With a week and a half left until the survey closes, UHS is urging students to check their email and fill out the survey. Survey participation is critical for a good response rate, which is needed for the accuracy and usefulness of the data, Loving said.
25,000 UW students are invited to participate and they are sent weekly reminders through their email — until March 17 — to take the survey, Loving said. The email sender is University Health Services, but the email address that the reminder comes from includes a University of Michigan end to the email address, Loving said.
Since the University of Michigan administers the survey broadly, they send out the link, which also ensures responses are confidential, according to Loving.
UHS is offering incentives to students who participate in the survey, according to Loving, including a chance to recieve deposits on their Wiscards. Of the students who complete the survey, 400 will receive $10 on their Wiscard and 10 students will receive $200 on their Wiscard, Loving said.
The incentive drawings take place shortly after the survey closes and students who win will receive their prize later this semester.
It is important for any and all students to complete this survey, even if they are getting ready to graduate, Loving said.
“Even if it doesn’t help them because they’re leaving campus, it’s a contribution that they can make to the well-being of students that are coming up behind them,” Loving said. “It’s really important data and we use it to make decisions about funding, services and resources that are offered to students, and so we really depend on student input and feedback to know how to serve them better.”
For more information about the Healthy Minds Survey, email [email protected].
