30 BACK TO THEMES U NITE STUDENTS | APPLICANT INDEX REPORT | 2023 INDEPENDENCE 68 New for 2023, the Independence score measures confidence in self-efficacy skills relevant to starting university, including ability to access support. Overall confidence is relatively high within this theme, but far from universal. One in ten applicants are not confident about making decisions for themselves, 14% are not confident about living independently and 15% do not know where to go to access support such as healthcare. Among applicants who have a mental health condition and/or are neurodivergent there is a lower level of confidence about living independently and addressing issues. Interestingly, they are more likely to have lived away from home before, which suggests that for some this was not a positive experience. They are just as likely as other applicants to be planning to live with other students while at university, and so may benefit from targeted support around independent living and negotiation skills. Perhaps unsurprisingly, applicants who have chosen to live with parents while at university are significantly less confident about living independently at university and somewhat less confident in making decisions for themselves. By contrast international students, a group that has self-selected to study in a different country, are more confident than average in these areas. I feel confident about living independently at university I know where to go to access external support (healthcare etc) if I need it I feel confident about addressing issues related to my studies and living situation independently I feel confident in making decisions for myself Figure 21 : Breakdown of responses to independence theme questions THEMATIC ANALYSIS - INDEPENDENCE 0% 100% 80% 50% 20% 90% 60% 30% 70% 40% 10% ■ Strong disagreement ■ Moderate disagreement ■ Neutral ■ Moderate agreement ■ Strong agreement NEW