SESP and sociology Prof. Simone Ispa-Landa and psychology Prof. Greg Miller spoke about their research at a Monday afternoon presentation titled “Understanding the Well-being of Jewish College Students” as part of the Institute for Policy Research’s Colloquia Series.

About 50 students, faculty and community members attended the colloquium in Chambers Hall. Miller and Ispa-Landa’s unpublished research centers on the Jewish college student experience in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the emergence of pro-Palestinian encampments on campuses across the country.

From January to May 2025, Miller and Ispa-Landa surveyed 3,418 college students nationwide, 58.69% of whom identified as Jewish. One part of the survey examined their well-being based on levels of depression, anxiety, loneliness and flourishing, defined as their ability to thrive in their community. This part of the survey found that the well-being of Jewish students was similar to, and sometimes even better than, that of other students.

“We were all surprised but relieved at what we saw here,” Miller said.

The second part of the survey asked the respondents who identified as Jewish about campus atmospheres, their sense of belonging on campus and positivity about their Jewish identities. Miller and Ispa-Landa said students in the sample perceived more hostility toward them on account of their Jewish identity, which led to slightly lower well-being in all four components than the other groups.

Miller and Ispa-Landa said their findings show that a sense of belonging is more strongly correlated with well-being than campus atmosphere, which they view as an important consideration when making campus policy changes.

“I think (Miller) and I both agree that when we think about resources for remedies and intervention, it makes sense to look at well-being,” Ispa-Landa said. “Well-being is important for institutions.”

Ispa-Landa raised a few methodological concerns in their research, including the fact that the study was conducted in 2025, rather than while the encampments took place. She also mentioned difficulty in encouraging Jewish student participation in the survey.

“It’s quite possible that we’re late to the game and that if you’d asked these same questions in the spring of 2024, the differences would have been more pronounced,” said Ispa-Landa.

The pair hopes to continue their research amid funding difficulties, which they attribute to donors largely wanting the research to substantiate their own opinion or perspective, Miller said.

“Neither of us thinks that we’ve exhaustively measured well-being,” Miller said. “Neither of us thinks that the study is definitive, and we want a more rigorous, longitudinal design with a bigger, more definitive sample.”

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