Abstract
Background: The nursing profession is currently facing a critical challenge with a noticeable decline in interest among young people to pursue nursing as a career. Objectives: This study examined academics' perceptions of factors driving low enrollment in Greek baccalaureate nursing programs and explored incentives that could motivate young people to pursue nursing careers. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study. We collected our data during October 2025 through an anonymous questionnaire. Source population included all academics in the nine nursing departments in Greece. Response rate was 54.2% (90 out of 166). Results: We classified the factors contributing to the low interest in baccalaureate nursing education programs into four groups: (a) poor working conditions, (b) negative social and cultural perceptions, (c) educational constraints, and (d) impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Academics identified negative social and cultural perceptions of nursing and poor working conditions as the primary drivers of low interest in baccalaureate nursing programs. The COVID-19 pandemic was viewed as having a moderate influence on young people's career choices, while educational constraints were considered least important overall. Academics in nursing departments based in Greece's capital perceived the pandemic's impact as more substantial than colleagues outside the capital and attributed greater importance to educational constraints. Respondents without prior clinical nursing experience emphasized educational barriers more strongly. To attract students, academics prioritized improving working conditions, increasing salaries, and expanding scholarships and support. Conclusions: Academics reported that unfavorable nursing work environments, intensified during COVID-19, influence students' career choices, underscoring the need for urgent policy and organizational actions informed by this study and existing evidence.