Social inequalities in students’ resilience and school well-being in Germany: a multilevel analysis

Background

There is growing evidence that students’ well-being and resilience have declined in recent years in Germany and other countries, with multiple social inequalities observed in both domains.

Objectives

To what extent are specific social determinants associated with students’ resilience and school-related well-being?

Methods

The data are based on a non-representative survey of students in grades 3 to 13 (N = 1,200), conducted during the 2024/25 school year across 36 primary and secondary schools in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Additional data on social deprivation, municipality-level population size, and school type were merged from official statistics. Three-level multilevel analyses (L1: student, L2: school, L3: municipality) with random intercepts were performed.

Results

The following factors were associated with school well-being and resilience, respectively: grade level (ns / ns), female students (B = 0.187, p < .001 / ns) and non-binary students (ns / ns), high socioeconomic status (B = 0.044, p = .002 / B = 0.025, p = .03), single-parent family (B = -0.200, p = .003 / B = -0.140, p = .01), stepfamily (B = -0.184, p = .05 / ns), other family form (ns / B = 0.473, p = .02), siblings in the household (ns / ns), one-sided migration background (B = -0.144, p = .01 / ns), two-sided migration background (ns / ns), language spoken at home (ns / ns), population size (ns / ns), social deprivation (ns / ns), as well as primary school (B = 0.545, p < .001 / B = 0.611, p < .001), Gymnasium (university-preparatory secondary school; ns / ns), and comprehensive school (ns / ns).

Discussion

The findings indicate multiple social inequalities in both school well-being and resilience, particularly among students with low socioeconomic status, a one-sided migration background, and those from single-parent or stepfamilies. Study limitations are discussed.

Key messages

• Students from socioeconomically disadvantaged, migrant, and non-traditional family backgrounds show lower levels of well-being and resilience.

• Measures to promote well-being and resilience should address social inequalities at the individual level and consider school-related contextual factors.