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Living Conditions of Children 2018–2019

Many children enjoy school

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2020-05-20 9.30

Six in ten children aged 12 to 18 years get on very well at school, where most of them have friends to hang out with. However, one in four children wish there were fewer tests and homework quizzes. Girls spend more time than boys on preparing their homework. Seven in ten girls spend three hours or more on homework each week.

The Living Conditions Survey of Children is now available, and contains statistics on children’s experiences of school and other aspects of how children fare in their daily life.

Many children like school: 60 percent answered that they get on very well. Taken together with the proportion of children who answered that they get on quite well in school, this proportion amounts to 96 percent. A factor that contributes to a sense of well-being can include social contact with friends, and nine in ten children have at least one close friend in their class. Almost all children also feel quite safe or very safe in the classroom and on the breaks: 98 percent in both cases.

Six in ten children feel that they can mostly work in peace during the lessons. The remaining children feel that they can work in peace sometimes or seldom. Eight in ten children feel that they most often receive help from their teachers with their schoolwork when needed. One in four children feel that there are often too many tests and homework quizzes.

Children also spend time on schoolwork outside school hours. Girls devote more hours than boys to homework; seven in ten girls spend three hours or more on homework each week, compared with six in ten boys. Children with a foreign background devote more hours to homework than those with a Swedish background. Seven in ten children with a foreign background spend at least three hours per week on homework, compared with six in ten children with a Swedish background.

Homework can sometimes feel difficult, but seven in ten children state that they often receive help with their homework when needed. This is more common among younger children, 12 to 15 years, than among older children, 16 to 18 years, 79 percent and 64 percent respectively receive help. There is no difference between the sexes in this question.

The difference in time spent on homework may be one of the reasons why more girls than boys feel stressed due to homework and tests. Four in ten girls feel stressed, compared with two of ten boys. Stress is more pronounced among older children, 33 percent, than among 12–15 year-olds, at 24 percent. In comparisons within age classes, a higher proportion of girls than boys also feel stressed.

Proportion of girls and boys 12–18 years who often feel stressed due to homework or tests, 2018–2019. Percent.

Chart:Proportion of girls and boys 12–18 years who often feel stressed due to homework or tests, 2018–2019. Percent.

Source: Statistics Sweden, Living Conditions Survey of Children

Children have sometimes been badly treated by other pupils, where some other pupil/pupils have done or said something that led the child to feel sick or upset. Two in ten younger children, 12–15 years, have experienced this in the past six months. Among older children, 16–18 years, one in ten have been subjected to this behaviour. Some children, 7 percent, feel that teachers have treated them badly in the past six months. There is no difference between ages or sex in this regard.

Definitions and explanations

These statistics are based on the Living Conditions Survey of Children, which includes children aged 12–18 years. The children themselves have answered questions about their daily life, and the survey includes a wide range of areas. The presented information refers to 2018–2019. The differences described in the text above are statistically significant.

Indicators on getting on in their class are based on whether children answered “Quite well” or “Very well” to the question “How do you like it in your class?”.
An indicator on having at least one close friend in class includes the children who answered “Yes” to the question: “Do you have at least one close friend in class?”.
An indicator on being able to work in peace includes the children who answered “Mostly” to the question: “How often do you feel that you can work in peace during lessons?”.
An indicator on receiving help from teachers includes the children who answered “Mostly” to the question: “How often do you receive the help you need from the teachers with your schoolwork?”.
An indicator on tests and homework quizzes includes the children who answered “Often” to the question: “How often do you feel that there are too many tests and homework quizzes?”.
An indicator on time spent on homework includes the children who answered “Three hours or more” to the question: “Around how many hours a week do you usually spend doing homework or studying for a test?”.
An indicator on receiving help with homework includes the children who answered “Often” to the question: “How often do you receive help with your homework when you need it?”.
An indicator on feeling stressed due to homework and tests includes the children who answered “Often” to the question: “How often do you feel stressed due to homework and tests?”.
Indicators on being treated badly in school include the children who answered “Yes” to the questions: “In the last six months, has any pupil treated you badly?”, and “In the last six months, has any teacher treated you badly?”.

Statistical Database

More information is available in the Statistical Database

Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.

Statistical agency and producer

Statistics Sweden, Living Conditions and Democracy Section

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