The impact of the socio-economic crisis on student well-being and happiness in Greece and Cyprus

Objective

The multiple and plural crisis that began in 2008 has had a profound impact on people's well-being and happiness, reaching far beyond the loss of jobs and income, and affecting citizens' satisfaction with their lives. Countries worst hit by the global financial crisis, such as Greece and Cyprus, saw their happiness levels, as well as their average life satisfaction levels, fall sharply. They also saw a rise in suicides and depression rates. Despite the vast number of studies that focus on the current social and economic situation in Cyprus and Greece, little is known about the impact of the crisis on students’ well-being, happiness and life satisfaction levels, and about how students themselves experience this impact. This proposed research project, which will be carried out (if funded by the EU) at the European University of Cyprus under the supervision of Prof Marios Vryonides, will use a comparative and an intersectional approach to explore the impact of the crisis on students’ well-being in Cyprus and Greece, in order to understand patterns of inequality that affect happiness attainment in children. Moreover, it will raise important questions about the possible role of education in the promotion of students’ well-being in said contexts. Through an in-depth look at students’ lives in Cyprus and Greece, this project will provide new ways for exploring the practices and discourses through which well-being and happiness are constituted. It will give secondary school students the opportunity to discuss their experiences and share insights into the impact of the crisis on their society, on education and especially on their own everyday lives, and to share their thoughts and views on the role which education could play in tackling this impact. It will also seize the opportunity to explore policy developments in this field, situate them within the European context, and strengthen the body of relevant literature.