By Cate McCurry, PA
Almost all 25-year-olds who were surveyed as part of the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study say they are concerned about the housing situation, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
This release presents the main results describing the lives of 25-year-olds from the central survey themes of physical health, well-being and key relationships, education, civic participation, and economic participation.
It revealed that almost 60 per cent of the cohort had a degree or a degree equivalent education, and the median weekly income from employment in 2022 for a respondent was €558.
Just over 73 per cent of 73.2 per cent of respondents were saving on a regular basis, while 58 per cent said they vigorously exercised in the past week.
More than 10 per cent said they have provided care for a family member.
Of those in cohort still living in the parental home, more than six in 10 (62.4 per cent) were doing so for mostly financial reasons.
Some 7.5 per cent of respondents at age 25 years were living outside both the parental home and outside the region they had lived in when they were aged nine.
Some 3.8 per cent of respondents said they owned their own home – however, some 80 per cent said they expected to buy a home in the future.
Even those who had moved out of their parents’ home showed a low level of mobility, tending to stay in their local region (71.7 per cent).
Almost the entire group of respondents (97.7 per cent) said they were concerned with the housing situation in Ireland.
According to the data, the majority (85.5 per cent) of the group were in regular employment, earning a median weekly wage of €558.
However, differences in earnings between those with and without a degree were noticeable.
Respondents with a degree earned 613 euro a week compared with €485 a week for those without a degree.
There was also evidence of significant income inequality already emerging within this group.
While nearly three-quarters reported they saved regularly, 34.2 per cent reported at least some difficulty making ends meet.
More than one in 10 stated they spent some time taking care of a family member other than childcare while just over one in 20 said they had no close friends.
Nearly nine out of 10 respondents reported themselves as having good to excellent general health.
There was, however, a decline in mental health since this group were aged 20 years.
Levels of self-reported depression, anxiety, stress, and low self-esteem had increased since 2018.
Most of the people in Cohort ’98 stated they were satisfied with their lives, the survey shows.
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