Take Nature's poll: do you have a side hustle alongside your PhD studies?

"For some, earning extra money is a necessity to cope with high living costs and stagnating salaries. A report for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the United Kingdom's largest funder of PhDs, suggests that more than half of research organizations and training-grant holders think that current PhD stipends do not meet researchers' living costs. And a survey from Morning Consult showed that university students' financial optimism has fallen to the lowest level since tracking began in 2018 - mainly owing to concerns about unemployment and AI-induced layoffs."

"Among the youngest people in the workforce - members of Gen Z, which describes those born between 1997 and 2012 - 57% have a side hustle, according to a survey by the Harris Poll reported in September 2025. Others are chasing creative or entrepreneurial goals. Is the current economic climate causing researchers to seek a second income? Nature wants to know whether you have, or had, a side hustle during your PhD studies."

57% of Gen Z workers have a side hustle, according to a September 2025 Harris Poll. Many people take on additional work to cope with high living costs and stagnating salaries. A report for UK Research and Innovation finds that more than half of research organizations and training-grant holders consider current PhD stipends insufficient to meet researchers' living costs. A Morning Consult survey reports that university students' financial optimism has fallen to its lowest level since 2018, mainly because of concerns about unemployment and AI-induced layoffs. Others pursue side hustles to chase creative or entrepreneurial goals. Surveys ask whether PhD students have or had side hustles during their studies.

Read at Nature