A mere 8 per cent of young adults aged under 30 report feeling positive about their mental wellbeing, amid concerns about financial challenges related to securing their own home or starting a family, research published today has shown.
The research carried out by Ipsos on behalf of the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) found that a third of respondents “rarely or never” feel optimistic about their future.
Published on Tuesday, the findings saw the Youth Council express concern about the “long-term impacts on social cohesion if young people feel increasingly alienated, unsupported and deprived of opportunities.”
750 people aged 18-30 were surveyed fior the research, which found that rarely or never feeling optimistic about the future was higher among those aged 27-29 (39 per cent felt this way) and young women across the entire age range (38 per cent).
50 per cent of those surveyed said their mental wellbeing was low. Questioned on what they felt were the three biggest social or political challenges facing Ireland, 67 per cent of those surveyed listed housing, while 62 per cent said cost of living. Immigration was the third biggest challenge those surveyed listed, with 28 per cent saying this.
Unemployment, mental health, and crime were also commonly cited in the survey.
52 per cent of people surveyed said they still lived with their parents, with this proportion being higher in rural areas (62 per cent) than in urban areas (49 per cent).
Just 13 per cent of those surveyed owned their own homes, commonly through a mortgage. However, some 51 per cent of homeowners had received assistance from parents when securing a spot on the property ladder.
According to the research, those aged 18-22 expected to be able to buy their own home by age 30.4 years, while those aged 27 to 29 believed they would realistically be in a position to buy a home at 36.9 years of age.
While 52 per cent of respondents said they were broadly happy with their living circumstances, among women exclusively, this dropped to 43 per cent.
Those renting their homes were generally more negative than those living in the family home or owning their own home – with 39 per cent of those surveyed reporting being happy with the amount of space they had, and 50 per cent saying they were satisfied with the quality of where they were living.
Cost was a major concern, with 1 in 5 people surveyed (22 per cent) having skipped meals due to costs. In addition, more than half of those with rental or mortgage payments said they had seen an increase in the past year.
Many respondents reported having to cut back on aspects of their spending to survive financially. 44 per cent said they feel financially ‘worse off’ than the previous year.
One young participant in the study, a female from Cork, in the 27-29 age category, shared her difficulties in the property market: “I never thought about leaving the country until last year, and now me and my partner have decided to go to New Zealand. The housing situation is so bad here I have had a lot of friends leave. I didn’t think we would be next, but unfortunately we are,” she said.
Many respondents said that concerns around accommodation, childcare and healthcare were concerns that would delay their aspiration to start a family. Among those who did not have children, 31 was the average age respondents suggested they would like to start a family.
Paul Gordon, NYCI Director of Policy and Advocacy, said that the report’s findings were “alarming” and “should serve as a wake-up call to Government to address some basic unmet needs for young people.”
“Young people’s fear of being worse off than their parents is real, driven by housing challenges and economic precarity. More than half live with family, one in two have experienced rent increases in the past year, with some facing rises of up to 30%, and this is pushing aspirations of home ownership further out of reach. Shockingly, one in five young people have skipped meals due to cost,” Mr Gordon said.
The research also reported young women being worse off than their male counterparts, with Mr Gordon saying this was a “striking” aspect of the research.
“Compared with young men, women reported worse mental and financial wellbeing, lower satisfaction with pay and conditions, were coping worse with the cost-of-living, are more likely to feel they are worse off than their parents’ generation,” he said.
“In response, we are calling on Government to take a far more coordinated approach to tackling the economic and social challenges facing young people by moving quickly to establish a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Young People.”
Mr Gordon concluded: “The findings paint a picture of a generation for whom the basic social contract appears broken, with hard work no longer a guarantee of security. Our recommendations aim to restore hope and support for young people, many of whom are despondent about their future.”