New Lifestyles Due to COVID-19 and Behavior of Young People Attending Universities in Japan

The novel coronavirus infection (hereinafter, this is called COVID-19) broke out in 2019. I6 January 2020, positive cases of infection were confirmed in Japan, which forced the closure of elementary and junior high schools, voluntary restraint from going out based on a declaration of a state of emergency, and cancellation of events. After more than two years, the world is gradually beginning to move toward a new normal. This study focuses on young people aged between 18 and 20 years as of 2022. Specifically, the study highlighted students attending Japanese universities who were greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the latter half of their high school years and in the middle of university life. Moreover, it investigated and analyzed changes in their attitudes and behavior before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The result confirmed that (1), and (2) a significant relationship existed between gender and awareness of the new lifestyle due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These results suggested that many students were willing to resume in-person activities online.