A Global Country Average of 40% think maintaining focus and concentration will be one of the biggest issues affecting children and young people as they return to the classroom.

Worse mental health and wellbeing, as well as missed formal education resulting in worse qualifications, are expected to be the longest-lasting outcomes of the pandemic for children and young people. Nevertheless, the public remain supportive of school closures. A global country average of 62% think school closures were/are an acceptable price to pay to reduce the spread of the virus, despite their perceived negative outcomes. 

Support for families who need it to fund education-related expenses is seen as key to improving access to education post-COVID-19. Despite this, a global country average of just 27% want their governments to prioritise spending on primary and secondary education, while a global country average of just 15% think vocational education and training should be a priority area for public spending.