Research study reveals pandemic impacted personality, math test scores

A couple weeks ago, President Joe Biden declared the COVID-19 pandemic was over. Health experts are still debating whether that’s true, but we do know the pandemic impacted people in different ways.

A newly released study shows some Americans’ personalities even changed.

Researchers from Florida State University worked with more than 7,000 adults and measured their personalities over three time periods.

The time periods were:

• Pre-pandemic: May 2014 through 2020.
• Acute phase: March 2020 through December 2020.
• Adaptation phase: January 2021 through February 2022.

The research focused on what experts call the Five-Factor Model, which measures:

• Neuroticism: a tendency to feel negative emotions and stress.
• Extraversion: a tendency to be energetic and outgoing.
• Openness: a tendency to be curious and creative.
• Agreeableness: a tendency to be trusting and compassionate.
• Conscientiousness: a tendency to be organized and goal-driven.

Changes in personality can and do occur, but researchers said it usually moves at “glacial speeds.”

According to the study, however, some adults experienced more than a decade’s worth of change in their personalities during the pandemic. Adults under 30 had a substantial drop in conscientiousness, meaning they’re less likely to take better care of their own health or those around them.

Adults over 65 seem to be less neurotic than they were pre-pandemic, which could be a good thing. Researchers did record a slight decline in overall extraversion, openness and agreeableness during the pandemic.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just intangible things like personality that were negatively impacted the last few years. Kids’ math scores were too, and the results are not great.

Nationwide, math scores were down among 9-year-olds for the first time since 1973. The average math score for 9-year-olds in 2022 dropped seven points from where it was in 2020.

Literacy scores are also down by five points nationally as well.

In New York City, the drop off in math scores is even worse than the national average. Third through eighth graders in New York City Public Schools lost eight points in math proficiency since 2019. Eighth graders saw the steepest decline, with just one in four eighth grade students testing as proficient in math.

Virtual learning and school shutdowns are seen as the primary contributors to the drop-off in math scores.

One bright spot, reading proficiency in New York public schools improved slightly during the pandemic.