RVA Views is a VCU project that surveys central Virginians on how they’re feeling. Their latest check asked how they were feeling as we move further away from the COVID 19 pandemic.
This year’s survey show things aren't going that great: 46% of those surveyed reported that their mental health had worsened, and more than a quarter are feeling worse about their general health.
Jodie Ferguson is executive director of RVA Views and a professor of Marketing at VCU. She said those numbers sound bad, but it could also be a thread that links folks in their time of need.
“It’s interesting to know I’m feeling this way about my mental health, I’m not alone, other Richmonders are feeling that way too,” she said.
Another of Fergusons big takeaways was the way folks think about schools, that 63% believe K-12 education has gotten worse since 2020. The researcher said it probably shows parents’ exhaustion with the school system even as teachers and administrators were doing the best they could.
“I wonder if this number is really high, and it’ll come down in the next round,” the researcher opined.
But there was some hopeful news mixed in with the bad news. Max Mohan, another VCU Marketing professor with RVA Views, said there were signs things could get better, or at least not get any worse. More people said they’re saving more money, are planning to visit a doctor more often, and more than half said their income had increased in the last year.
“There does seem to be a sense of optimism, this is only now, and things could get better,” Mohan said.
RVA Views plans to conduct a follow-up local survey sometime in the future.
