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For more information on this release:
E-mail: income&modules@cso.ie Gillian Wall (+353) 21 453 5239 Anne McGrath (+353) 21 453 5487
For general information on CSO statistics:
information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN
CSO statistical release, , 11am

QNHS Volunteering and Wellbeing

Q3 2013

Percentage of persons aged 15 or over who volunteered and number of hours volunteered Q3 2013
Age GroupTotalNumber of hours volunteered in 12 months
 %('million)
State28.4232.8
15 - 2416.816.0
25 - 3421.723.1
35 - 4430.341.4
45 - 5438.058.8
55 - 6437.252.2
65+ 27.841.2

Over a quarter of adults aged 15 or over volunteer in Ireland

Fig 1Persons aged 15 and over who volunteered July-September 2013.
go to full release

A module on volunteering and a pilot module on subjective well-being were included in the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) in the three months from July to September 2013 (quarter 3). This release presents the results from those modules. 

Summary of main results

  • Over a quarter of adults aged 15 years and above volunteered in Ireland (28.4% of persons). A slightly higher percentage of females (28.7%) than males volunteered (28.1%). See table 1.1.
  • In terms of time spent volunteering, over 232.8 million hours annually were worked. Some 65% of those hours were volunteered by those aged 45 years and above. Those aged 15-24 volunteered the least amount of hours (6.9%). See table 1.1 and figure 1.
  • Applying  the relevant national minimum wage the value of this unpaid work would be over €2 billion. Nearly 58% of this was carried out by females. See table 1.1.
  • Half of all volunteering was work carried out directly by individuals (54.7% of hours worked) rather than through organisations (45.3%). The younger members of the population (15-24) who volunteered tended more than other age groups to volunteer through an organisation (68.8% of hours worked). See table 1.2.
  • The bulk of volunteer work carried out by females was in the Caring, leisure and other service occupations (58.3%). See table 1.4.
  • More than 4 in 10 persons who volunteered worked up to 100 hours a year. For the older age groups this tended to increase and over 9% of those aged 55 – 64 volunteered over 700 hours a year. See table 1.6.
  • The majority of people indicated that they volunteered for just one type of voluntary activity (82.7%) with 14.5% volunteering for two types of activity, but nearly 1 in every 4 persons aged 65+ who volunteered carried out at least two different types of volunteering activity. See table 1.7.
  • Four out of every five adults (82.3%) viewed the things that they did in their lives as worthwhile by giving a rating of 7 or more out of 10. See table 2.2.
  • When asked about day-to-day emotions nearly 4 in 5 (77.8%) of the population rated their happiness the previous day as ‘very high’ or ‘high’. See table 2.3.
  • On the other hand 14.6% of the population declared that they experienced a ‘high’ level of anxiety the previous day. Over a quarter (28.5%) of all females rated their anxiety as ‘medium’ or ‘high’. See table 2.4.
  • Those who volunteered were more likely to rate their level of life worthwhile as ‘very high’ or ‘high’ (84.3%) than those who did not volunteer (76%). See tables 3.1 and 3.2.

Volunteering

The overall  rate of volunteering for the country stood at 28.4% of persons in Quarter 3 2013. This figure included all types of work outside the volunteer’s household as long as it was unpaid and non-compulsory. The value of this work (after annualising the hours and applying  the national minimum wage) amounted to over €2 billion annually. While the percentage of those volunteering was broadly  similar between men and women it was only when looking at the number of hours and value that one sees a somewhat different picture. See table 1.1.

Over 47% of all volunteering hours were carried out by those aged 45 to 64. Those who volunteered the least number of hours were the 15 to 24 age group  (6.9% of hours). Over a quarter of those aged 65 and above volunteered and accounted for over 41 million annualised hours (17.7%). See figure 1 and table 1.1.

Although those who were classified as single represented 41% of the adult population they only accounted for 29.4% of all volunteering hours. Also they were less likely to volunteer (22.1%). This compared with those who were married, where 33.8% volunteered and they accounted for 56.3% of all volunteer hours. See table 1.1.

 

""
Employment StatusVolunteered hours
by Employment Status
At work48
Unemployed8
Not economically active44

Nearly a third of all employed people (30.5%) volunteered and in terms of hours volunteered, nearly half of the hours were provided by employed persons (48.3%). Those who were unemployed provided 8.3% of all volunteer hours. See figure 2 and table 1.1.

While 6.9% of volunteers carried out both direct and organisation based volunteering there was nearly an even split between those whose volunteering was for organisations (45.0%) and those who volunteered directly (48.0%). Looking in more detail at the type of volunteering people did, more men carried out volunteering through organisations (50.1%), while 52.5% of women volunteered directly. The volunteering hours provided a clearer picture as 64.0% of all hours volunteered by women was done directly rather than through an organisation. The younger the volunteers were, the more likely they were to be volunteering through an organisation. As the age group of the volunteer increased there was a tendency to move towards direct volunteering rather than organisation based volunteering. See table 1.2.

In the Dublin region 71.8% of the time volunteered through organisations was listed under the category of non-profit organisations including charity, sporting and religious organisations. This compares with only 51.9% in the West region. Very few persons volunteered hours to business organisations (1.8%) or to government organisations (3.6%). Other organisations which included community groups gained 3 in every 10 hours volunteered through organisations.  See table 1.3.

""
Percentage of hours
classified by volunteer
occupation and gender.
MaleFemale
Managers, directors and senior officials20.8
Professional5.74.3
Associate professional and technical41.220.3
Admin and secreterial8.55.7
Skilled trades5.32.7
Caring, leisure and other service24.357.2
Sales and customer service0.991.4
Process, plant and machine operatives3.51.3
Elementary8.34
Not stated0.051.7

All the volunteer work was coded as an occupation and nearly 29% of all volunteering was coded to the Caring, leisure and other service professions. This group of volunteers provided 43.7% of all of the volunteer hours and females contributed 58.3% of their hours under these occupations. Men were more prevalent in the associate professional and technical occupations with 4 in 10 (persons and hours) being coded to this occupation classification. See table 1.4 and figure 3.

Subjective Wellbeing

In this pilot module respondents were asked about subjective wellbeing.  The wellbeing questions related to ‘life satisfaction’, ’things done in life being worthwhile’, ‘happiness yesterday’ and ‘anxiety yesterday’. The answers were rated on a scale of 0 – 10 where 0 is ‘not at all’ and 10 is ‘completely’. Respondents were also asked about their health (answers rated on a scale of 1 – 5) and about their satisfaction with their level of education (answers rated on a scale of 0 – 10). The data was evaluated by calculating the mean value of the ratings given and also by grouping ratings into ‘low’, ‘medium’, ‘high’ and ‘very high’ for the life satisfaction, life worthwhile, happiness yesterday and education satisfaction questions and into ‘very low’, ‘low’, ‘medium’ and ‘high’ for the ‘anxious yesterday’ question.

 

Very High (9-10)High (7-8)Medium (5-6)Low (0-4)
Life satisfaction28.148.218.15.6
Worthwhile33.149.214.13.7
Happy yesterday37.740.114.87.4
Education satisfaction30.535.923.79.9

Four out of every five adults (82.3%) viewed the things that they did in their lives as worthwhile by giving a rating of 7 or more out of 10. When asked to rate their overall ‘life satisfaction’ on a scale of 0-10,  just over three-quarters (76.3%) of all adults aged 16 and over  rated it as ‘high’ to ‘very high’.  The two ends of the age spectrum exhibited the highest positive ‘life satisfaction’ and ‘worthwhile’ ratings. People aged 16 – 19 and 60 plus reported the highest ratings with almost 40% of those aged 75 or more rating their life satisfaction as ‘very high’ (9 or 10). The mean values for the satisfaction questions ranged from 7.2 for ‘education satisfaction’ to 7.8 for how worthwhile they felt their lives were. See tables 2.1, 2.2 and figure 4.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, slightly fewer than 6% rated their satisfaction with their lives as ‘low’. However, as can be seen in Figure 5 when the category of ‘low’ classified by age was examined, nearly one tenth of all 20-24 year olds rated their ‘happiness yesterday’ as ‘low’ as did those between 45-49. See tables 2.1, 2.3 and figure 5.

Proportion of respondents
with low life satisfaction
worthwhile and
happiness ratings
Low life satisfaction
(0-4)
Low worthwhile
(0-4)
Low happiness
(0-4)
16 - 192.94.24.2
20 - 244.82.99
25 - 294.53.37.4
30 - 344.42.36.9
35 - 395.136.4
40 - 446.64.18.5
45 - 498.73.79.4
50 - 547.54.78.5
55 - 596.337
60 - 646.24.68.2

When asked about day-to-day emotions, 37.7% of the population rated their happiness yesterday as ‘very high’ (9 or 10). This contrasted with nearly 15% of the population declaring that they experienced a high level of anxiety the previous day. Nearly one in three unemployed people rated their ‘happiness yesterday’ as below 7 compared with only one in five employed people.  See tables 2.3 and 2.4.

In relation to people’s satisfaction with their level of education, over two-thirds (66.4%) of all adults reported ‘high’ or ‘very high’ satisfaction. The mean rating for satisfaction with their level of education was 7.2. Slightly more than four out of every five adults with a third level qualification gave a ‘high’ or ’very high’ rating for their level of satisfaction with their education. This was in contrast with the 45.4% of those with primary level or no formal education who had a similar level of satisfaction.  Those most satisfied with their level of education were the 16 – 19 year olds where 82.3% gave a rating of 7 or more. See figure 4 and table 2.5.

When asked to self-assess their own health, 44.7% of the adult population responded that they had ‘very good’ health. Only 3.2% of adults felt that their health was ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’.  As might be expected, the younger members of the population reported the best health and the percentage of those reporting ‘very good health’ decreased going up through the age groups. Over 70% of 16-19 year olds reported ‘very good health’ as compared with 16.6% of those aged 75-79.  See table 2.6.

Within those who reported ‘bad’ or’ very bad’ health, a third (33.1%) rated their ‘satisfaction with their lives’ as less than 5 (‘low’) and 36.1% of them gave a ‘low’ rating for ‘happiness yesterday’. See tables 2.1 and 2.3.

Some comparisons can be made with the UK who had also conducted this survey using the same wellbeing questions.

The average ratings for the questions on ‘Life satisfaction’, ‘Worthwhile’, ‘Happiness’ and ‘Anxiety’ were similar to those of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Ireland and Northern Ireland had the highest rating for ‘happy yesterday’.  Along with Wales, Ireland had the second highest mean rating for how worthwhile people felt their lives were. Ireland also had the highest percentage (51.8%) of people who had a ‘very low’ ‘anxious yesterday’ rating; this compared with 39.2% for England. See table 4.

In 2013 the Survey on Income and Living Conditions contained once-off questions on wellbeing and health. The reference period for that survey for Ireland was the two year period 2012 to 2013.  A comparison of the questions which were comparable in both surveys is given in Table 5. The rating categories for the QNHS data in this release were adjusted for that table to enable the two sources to be compared. See table 5. 

Volunteering and Wellbeing

As the respondents largely overlapped for both modules the results on wellbeing were broken down by whether or not the respondent had been engaged in volunteering. When using the mean rating for each wellbeing question in relation to gender, age class, and employment status etc. the values were broadly similar for those who volunteered and those who did not. See tables 3.5 and 3.6

It was only when looking at the ratings of ‘very high’, ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’ that one could see much variation. Those who volunteered, whether they were male or female, were more likely to rate their level of satisfaction as ‘very high’ or high’ than those who did not volunteer. The one area that this was less noticeable related to the question on ‘anxious yesterday’ which displayed less of a difference between those volunteering and those who did not. See tables 3.1 and 3.2.

When each wellbeing question was analysed by age class it became more evident that those who rated their wellbeing in the ‘very high/high’ category were more likely to be carrying out volunteering work. For those who did not volunteer 73.7% of those aged 65 plus rated their lives as being ‘worthwhile’ as ‘very high/high’.  This increased to nearly 90% for those who volunteered. Those aged 16-24 were 11.9% more likely to rate their ‘happiness yesterday’ as ‘very high/high’ if they volunteered in the previous four weeks. See tables 3.3 and 3.4.

Table 1.1 All persons aged 15 or over classified by whether they volunteer and the annual hours volunteered, July-September 2013.
 
    VolunteerNumber of hours volunteered in 12 months1 Unweighted sample (number of persons aged 15 or over)
    YesNo Total
    %%%('million) 
State 28.471.6100.0232.813,891
Sex      
 Male 28.171.9100.099.25,534
 Female 28.771.3100.0133.68,357
Age group       
 15-24 16.883.2100.016.0674
 25-34 21.778.3100.023.12,271
 35-44 30.369.7100.041.43,019
 45-54 38.062.0100.058.82,576
 55-64 37.262.8100.052.22,285
 65+ 27.872.2100.041.23,066
ILO Economic Status      
 In employment 30.569.5100.0112.56,883
 Unemployed 27.572.5100.019.31,021
 Not economically active 25.974.1100.0101.15,987
Region      
 Border 26.873.2100.025.41,715
 Midland 32.967.1100.014.7913
 West 32.467.6100.026.71,296
 Dublin 27.972.1100.069.93,209
 Mid-East 25.674.4100.018.61,424
 Mid-West 33.666.4100.024.01,270
 South-East 26.074.0100.023.51,631
 South-West 27.272.8100.030.02,433
Marital Status      
 Single 22.177.9100.068.44,195
 Married 33.866.2100.0131.07,419
 Widowed 24.375.7100.012.01,214
 Divorced or legally separated 33.666.4100.021.41,063
Highest education level attained     
 Primary or below 17.982.1100.020.62,296
 Lower secondary 26.273.8100.038.11,902
 Higher secondary 26.173.9100.053.42,942
 Post leaving cert  30.969.1100.032.41,741
 Third level  34.765.3100.086.34,786
 Other/not stated 20.779.3100.02.0224
Degree of urbanisation   
 Densely-populated area 28.671.4100.090.44,199
 Intermediate density area 24.575.5100.045.33,544
 Thinly-populated area 30.769.3100.097.06,148
¹A person may have carried out many types of volunteering in the four week period and therefore all hours of volunteering were counted.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 1.2 All persons aged 15 or over, who volunteered classified by type of volunteering¹ and annual number of hours, July-September 2013.
 
    Type of Volunteering 
    Organisation based volunteer work Direct volunteer work Both organisation and direct volunteer workUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 15 or over)
    Annual hoursPersons volunteering¹ Annual hoursPersons volunteering¹ Persons volunteering¹
    %% %% % 
State 45.345.0 54.748.0 6.94,215
Sex         
 Male 57.950.1 42.143.3 6.61,657
 Female 36.040.2 64.052.5 7.32,558
Age group          
 15-24 68.856.9 31.239.5 3.6112
 25-34 53.947.4 46.148.5 4.1494
 35-44 54.251.0 45.842.7 6.3922
 45-54 40.244.1 59.848.3 7.6976
 55-64 35.036.8 65.055.4 7.8851
 65+ 42.838.4 57.251.1 10.4860
ILO Economic Status         
 In employment 50.848.2 49.245.8 6.02,210
 Unemployed 38.639.0 61.456.5 4.5299
 Not economically active 40.541.6 59.549.5 9.01,706
Region         
 Border 40.242.7 59.846.7 10.6477
 Midland 47.047.0 53.047.2 5.8333
 West 38.036.0 62.057.6 6.4449
 Dublin 46.143.9 53.949.9 6.1958
 Mid-East 54.954.1 45.140.1 5.8405
 Mid-West 49.647.6 50.443.1 9.3451
 South-East 45.647.1 54.447.5 5.3424
 South-West 43.944.9 56.147.9 7.2718
Marital Status         
 Single 52.548.1 47.547.1 4.81,015
 Married 45.845.5 54.246.6 7.92,540
 Widowed 29.931.4 70.157.4 11.2301
 Divorced or legally separated 27.938.3 72.155.5 6.2359
Highest education level attained        
 Primary or below 23.930.6 76.164.5 4.8427
 Lower secondary 39.341.2 60.753.4 5.4549
 Higher secondary 46.345.2 53.748.5 6.3847
 Post leaving cert  38.042.0 62.050.9 7.1582
 Third level  55.450.4 44.641.4 8.21,755
 Other/not stated 37.335.7 62.756.0 8.455
Degree of urbanisation      
 Densely-populated area 44.742.8 55.350.5 6.71,299
 Intermediate density area 45.248.2 54.846.0 5.8968
 Thinly-populated area 46.045.2 54.047.1 7.71,948
¹A person may have carried out many types of volunteering in the four week period and each of these are included in the sample.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 1.3 All persons aged 15 or over classified by the type of organisation based volunteer work and annual hours, July-September 2013.
 
    Type of organisation-based volunteering 
    Volunteer work for or through non profit institutions Volunteer work for or through business Volunteer work for or through government Volunteer work for or through other organisations Not sure / not statedUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 15 or over)
    Persons volunteering¹Annual hours Persons volunteering¹Annual hours Persons volunteering¹Annual hours Persons volunteering¹Annual hours Persons volunteering¹Annual hours
    %% %% %% %% %% 
State 59.163.1 1.91.8 3.03.6 35.130.1 0.91.52,531
Sex                
 Male 57.958.7 2.62.5 2.32.5 36.534.6 0.71.81,113
 Female 60.468.1 1.20.9 3.74.9 33.624.9 1.21.21,418
Age group                 
 15-24 53.658.7 2.62.0 2.95.3 37.927.2 2.96.773
 25-34 56.152.5 2.62.3 4.57.5 36.037.1 0.80.6280
 35-44 58.056.8 2.01.2 2.31.1 37.140.6 0.50.3604
 45-54 56.062.4 1.22.1 3.03.8 38.630.1 1.21.5599
 55-64 62.871.5 1.90.9 2.21.9 33.125.7 0.00.0454
 65+ 67.072.9 1.72.3 3.34.6 26.918.1 1.12.1521
ILO Economic Status               
 In employment 57.962.4 2.21.4 3.43.7 35.831.6 0.60.91,387
 Unemployed 50.748.2 0.50.7 3.34.9 45.646.2 0.00.0149
 Not economically active62.466.5 1.72.5 2.23.2 32.125.2 1.62.6995
Region                
 Border 62.561.1 1.80.7 2.32.6 32.835.2 0.50.5299
 Midland 53.264.1 3.42.5 1.71.7 41.031.2 0.70.4204
 West 57.051.9 1.40.8 1.00.5 40.446.6 0.30.1227
 Dublin 63.971.8 1.91.1 2.32.6 30.723.0 1.11.5541
 Mid-East 57.454.6 1.74.5 5.811.5 35.129.4 0.00.0293
 Mid-West 54.663.2 2.91.9 1.52.6 40.030.2 0.92.0293
 South-East 54.859.2 0.20.1 2.61.2 41.839.1 0.50.4257
 South-West 59.561.6 2.13.5 5.66.8 30.422.8 2.55.3417
Marital Status                
 Single 55.959.9 2.41.0 3.14.9 36.931.3 1.72.8585
 Married 59.464.1 1.62.0 2.82.8 35.830.5 0.40.61,613
 Widowed 67.872.5 2.23.2 2.84.0 25.115.5 2.14.9149
 Divorced or legally separated 65.365.5 2.23.1 3.63.2 27.927.5 1.00.6184
Highest education level attained               
 Primary or below52.251.4 0.00.0 3.03.9 40.237.7 4.77.0167
 Lower secondary59.865.7 2.01.8 2.53.0 35.829.5 0.00.0279
 Higher secondary55.561.8 2.31.4 2.94.6 38.932.0 0.40.2484
 Post leaving cert 59.560.3 0.41.6 3.22.3 36.234.2 0.71.7323
 Third level 60.964.8 2.42.2 3.13.5 32.627.4 1.02.11,245
 Other/not stated[67.1][72.2] [0][0] [2.8][3.7] [30.2][24.2] [0][0]33
Degree of urbanisation               
 Densely-populated area64.571.9 1.70.9 2.02.1 30.722.3 1.22.9715
 Intermediate density area55.659.3 2.82.2 4.15.3 35.431.2 2.12.0578
 Thinly-populated area56.857.0 1.62.4 3.14.1 38.336.4 0.10.11,238
¹A person may have carried out many types of volunteering in the four week period and each of these are included in the sample.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Figures in parentheses [ ] indicate percentages/averages based on small numbers and are, therefore, subject to a wide margin of error.
Table 1.4 Persons aged 15 or over volunteering and annual hours volunteered by volunteer's occupation¹, July-September 2013.
 
    Volunteering activities² Annual hours²Unweighted sample (number of volunteering activities)²
    MaleFemaleTotal³ MaleFemaleTotal³
    %%% %%% 
Volunteer occupation¹ 
Managers, directors and senior officials2.10.91.5 2.00.91.469
Professional5.05.55.2 5.74.55.0282
Associate professional and technical41.131.035.9 41.320.729.61,745
Admin and secretarial9.07.58.2 8.55.87.0441
Skilled trades7.13.25.1 5.32.83.9253
Caring, leisure and other service18.837.928.6 24.358.343.71,583
Sales and customer service1.11.61.4 1.01.41.271
Process, plant and machine operatives4.53.03.8 3.51.42.3206
Elementary11.39.310.3 8.34.25.9499
Total³100.0100.0100.0 100.0100.0100.05,149
¹Occupation refers to the volunteering occupation rather than the normal daily occupation of the volunteer.
²A person may have carried out many types of volunteering activities in the four week period and each activity is coded as a volunteering occupation.
³Total does not include those who did not state an occupation.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 1.5 Persons aged 15 or over volunteering and annual hours volunteered by volunteer's occupation¹ and type of volunteering, July-September 2013.
 
    Type of Volunteering 
    Organisation based volunteer work Direct volunteer workUnweighted sample (number of volunteering activities)²
    Volunteering activities²Annual hours² Volunteering activities²Annual hours²
    %% %% 
Volunteer occupation¹       
Managers, directors and senior officials2.42.7 0.60.369
Professional7.07.7 3.52.8282
Associate professional and technical52.553.1 1910.51,745
Admin and secretarial13.514.0 2.91.3441
Skilled trades3.82.9 6.44.7253
Caring, leisure and other service10.211.1 47.470.11,583
Sales and customer service1.92.2 0.80.571
Process, plant and machine operatives1.51.1 6.03.3206
Elementary7.35.2 13.46.5499
Total³100.0100.0 100.0100.05,149
¹Occupation refers to the volunteering occupation rather than the normal daily occupation of the volunteer.
²A person may have carried out many types of volunteering activities in the four week period and each activity is coded as a volunteering occupation.
³Total does not include those who did not state an occupation.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 1.6 Persons aged 15 or over who volunteered classified by number of annual hours spent volunteering, July-September 2013.
 
    Persons volunteering Unweighted sample (number of persons aged 15 or over)
    Annual hours1 
    1 - 100101 - 200201 - 300301 - 400401 - 500501 - 600601 - 700701 +Total 
    %%%%%%%%%  
State 42.426.411.56.32.43.31.66.2100.04,215
Sex            
 Male 41.428.412.56.32.23.11.44.7100.0 1,657
 Female 43.324.510.66.32.53.51.87.5100.0 2,558
Age group             
 15-24 49.324.510.37.11.62.70.83.8100.0 112
 25-34 49.829.18.46.21.51.11.42.5100.0 494
 35-44 47.625.411.45.31.63.31.14.4100.0 922
 45-54 39.425.412.76.92.53.32.07.8100.0 976
 55-64 34.627.212.66.13.74.52.29.1100.0 851
 65+ 37.226.912.66.62.94.41.87.6100.0 860
ILO Economic Status            
 In employment 43.927.811.46.12.03.11.44.3100.0 2,210
 Unemployed 44.523.29.47.83.33.61.66.4100.0 299
 Not economically active 39.524.912.26.32.73.52.08.9100.0 1,706
Region            
 Border 40.625.410.97.92.83.61.47.4100.0 477
 Midland 38.530.812.85.43.33.91.04.2100.0 333
 West 41.226.411.96.31.94.01.56.9100.0 449
 Dublin 42.225.511.96.92.12.52.26.6100.0 958
 Mid-East 48.625.59.17.22.41.70.74.8100.0 405
 Mid-West 37.529.811.35.92.84.91.36.5100.0 451
 South-East 43.925.611.05.31.44.11.96.7100.0 424
 South-West 44.525.412.74.82.83.11.65.2100.0 718
Marital Status            
 Single 46.526.110.16.41.92.61.45.0100.0 1,015
 Married 41.526.612.05.92.63.31.86.4100.0 2,540
 Widowed 35.929.513.16.72.24.91.95.8100.0 301
Divorced or legally separated36.023.513.08.93.05.11.29.3100.0 359
Highest education level attained           
 Primary or below 43.223.510.07.60.85.22.27.4100.0 427
 Lower secondary 41.224.012.56.72.84.41.57.0100.0 549
 Higher secondary 42.527.611.74.91.53.11.37.3100.0 847
 Post leaving cert  41.023.011.36.93.54.22.67.5100.0 582
 Third level  42.828.211.66.52.52.31.44.7100.0 1,755
 Other/not stated 47.128.99.93.46.72.10.01.9100.0 55
Degree of urbanisation           
 Densely-populated area 41.725.812.36.42.22.91.96.9100.0 1,299
 Intermediate density area 46.824.010.36.61.93.61.05.8100.0 968
 Thinly-populated area 40.728.111.56.12.73.41.75.8100.0 1,948
¹A person may have carried out many types of volunteering in the four week period and each of these are included in the sample.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 1.7 Persons aged 15 or over who volunteered classified by the number of different volunteering activities they engaged in over a four week period, July-September 2013.
 
    Number of Volunteering Activities Unweighted sample
    OneTwoThree or moreTotal (number of persons aged 15 or over)
    %%%%  
State 82.714.52.8100.0 4,215
Sex       
 Male 82.614.82.6100.0 1,657
 Female 82.814.13.0100.0 2,558
Age group        
 15-24 93.94.81.3100.0 112
 25-34 88.010.91.1100.0 494
 35-44 83.913.92.2100.0 922
 45-54 80.116.43.5100.0 976
 55-64 80.216.23.6100.0 851
 65+ 76.219.44.4100.0 860
ILO Economic Status       
 In employment 83.514.02.5100.0 2,210
 Unemployed 88.99.51.6100.0 299
 Not economically active 80.016.33.7100.0 1,706
Region       
 Border 78.516.15.4100.0 477
 Midland 85.913.11.1100.0 333
 West 82.814.52.7100.0 449
 Dublin 83.913.72.4100.0 958
 Mid-East 84.512.13.4100.0 405
 Mid-West 77.819.03.2100.0 451
 South-East 84.414.41.2100.0 424
 South-West 82.714.23.1100.0 718
Marital Status       
 Single 87.310.81.9100.0 1,015
 Married 80.516.13.4100.0 2,540
 Widowed 76.720.72.6100.0 301
 Divorced or legally separated 83.913.52.6100.0 359
Highest education level attained      
 Primary or below 85.712.02.3100.0 427
 Lower secondary 86.211.42.3100.0 549
 Higher secondary 85.812.22.0100.0 847
 Post leaving cert  82.714.92.4100.0 582
 Third level  79.417.03.5100.0 1,755
 Other/not stated 78.414.86.7100.0 55
Degree of urbanisation      
 Densely-populated area 83.613.92.5100.0 1,299
 Intermediate density area 85.512.02.5100.0 968
 Thinly-populated area 80.516.23.3100.0 1,948
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 2.1 All persons aged 16 or over classified by their rating of life satisfaction and the overall mean rating, July-September 2013.
            
    Life Satisfaction  
    Low (0-4)Medium (5-6)High (7-8)Very High (9-10) TotalMeanUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
    %%%% %  
State 5.618.148.228.1 100.07.513,306
Sex         
 Male 5.817.949.027.2 100.07.55,286
 Female 5.418.247.429.0 100.07.58,020
Age group          
 16-19  2.910.740.845.7 100.08.2167
 20-24  4.818.949.027.3 100.07.5445
 25-29  4.518.453.223.9 100.07.4803
 30-34  4.418.153.224.3 100.07.51,378
 35-39  5.117.354.223.4 100.07.41,470
 40-44  6.621.150.421.9 100.07.21,430
 45-49  8.722.049.320.0 100.07.11,278
 50-54  7.521.245.625.6 100.07.31,197
 55-59  6.320.746.926.0 100.07.31,107
 60-64  6.218.542.632.7 100.07.61,082
 65-69  6.514.141.538.0 100.07.8941
 70-74  4.413.844.537.4 100.07.9775
 75-79  3.714.342.139.8 100.07.9576
 80+  4.313.043.039.7 100.07.9657
ILO Economic Status         
 In employment 3.615.053.927.4 100.07.66,616
 Unemployed 13.136.236.714.0 100.06.4981
 Not economically active 6.518.043.132.4 100.07.55,709
Region         
 Border 5.920.449.324.5 100.07.41,635
 Midland 7.019.645.627.8 100.07.3892
 West 3.315.549.132.1 100.07.81,255
 Dublin 6.519.149.624.8 100.07.33,073
 Mid-East 5.720.149.424.8 100.07.41,339
 Mid-West 5.214.748.331.9 100.07.71,220
 South-East 5.517.243.034.4 100.07.71,586
 South-West 4.916.348.130.7 100.07.62,306
Marital Status         
 Single  5.818.549.726.1 100.07.43,976
 Married  4.416.448.430.8 100.07.77,167
 Widowed  7.019.443.829.8 100.07.41,153
 Divorced or legally separated 12.126.741.619.6 100.06.81,010
Self reported health¹ status         
 Very good 2.911.649.336.2 100.07.95,346
 Good 4.520.451.024.1 100.07.45,453
 Fair 11.428.343.117.2 100.06.82,012
 Bad/Very bad 33.137.819.69.5 100.05.3495
Highest education level attained        
 Primary or below 7.821.438.832.0 100.07.42,204
 Lower secondary 6.519.742.431.4 100.07.51,806
 Higher secondary 5.417.750.026.9 100.07.52,791
 Post leaving cert  7.021.046.625.4 100.07.31,673
 Third level  3.915.054.127.0 100.07.64,621
 Other/not stated 7.824.938.029.3 100.07.3211
Degree of urbanisation        
 Densely-populated area 6.618.948.625.9 100.07.44,038
 Intermediate density area 6.018.749.625.8 100.07.43,335
 Thinly-populated area 4.417.046.931.6 100.07.75,933
1Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.  
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 2.2 All persons aged 16 or over classified by their rating of how worthwhile their life is and the overall mean rating, July-September 2013.
            
    Worthwhile   Unweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
    Low (0-4)Medium (5-6)High (7-8)Very High (9-10) TotalMean
    %%%% %  
State 3.714.149.233.1 100.07.813,227
Sex         
 Male 4.315.451.029.3 100.07.65,248
 Female 3.112.847.436.7 100.07.97,979
Age group          
 16-19  4.211.642.042.3 100.08.0166
 20-24  2.915.152.629.3 100.07.7443
 25-29  3.314.451.530.9 100.07.7796
 30-34  2.313.555.728.4 100.07.81,368
 35-39  3.013.152.131.8 100.07.81,456
 40-44  4.114.150.231.6 100.07.71,426
 45-49  3.715.851.628.9 100.07.71,280
 50-54  4.715.846.533.0 100.07.71,193
 55-59  3.014.849.133.1 100.07.81,100
 60-64  4.613.046.535.9 100.07.81,075
 65-69  4.611.944.339.2 100.07.9932
 70-74  3.714.442.839.1 100.07.9772
 75-79  4.314.641.739.3 100.07.9572
 80+  5.814.143.536.7 100.07.8648
ILO Economic Status         
 In employment 1.911.654.132.3 100.07.96,591
 Unemployed 8.526.942.322.3 100.07.0964
 Not economically active 4.914.544.036.6 100.07.85,672
Region         
 Border 4.513.550.731.2 100.07.71,613
 Midland 5.615.543.735.2 100.07.7887
 West 1.714.349.434.6 100.07.91,241
 Dublin 4.115.350.929.7 100.07.73,064
 Mid-East 4.211.852.131.9 100.07.81,336
 Mid-West 3.311.647.237.9 100.08.01,214
 South-East 3.114.742.939.2 100.08.01,582
 South-West 2.913.850.332.9 100.07.82,290
Marital Status         
 Single  4.116.149.929.9 100.07.63,939
 Married  2.511.249.536.7 100.08.07,139
 Widowed  6.817.243.732.2 100.07.51,144
 Divorced or legally separated 6.818.847.626.8 100.07.41,005
Self reported health¹ status         
 Very good 1.79.149.340.0 100.08.15,325
 Good 2.815.651.929.7 100.07.75,425
 Fair 7.921.846.224.1 100.07.21,989
 Bad/Very bad 26.033.826.214.0 100.05.8488
Highest education level attained        
 Primary or below 6.918.241.733.2 100.07.52,180
 Lower secondary 4.315.344.635.8 100.07.81,791
 Higher secondary 3.813.750.432.1 100.07.82,783
 Post leaving cert  4.114.150.331.5 100.07.71,664
 Third level  1.812.052.933.3 100.07.94,602
 Other/not stated 8.317.343.531.0 100.07.5207
Degree of urbanisation        
 Densely-populated area 4.015.750.030.3 100.07.74,019
 Intermediate density area 4.213.650.232.0 100.07.83,315
 Thinly-populated area 3.112.947.836.2 100.07.95,893
1Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.  
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 2.3 All persons aged 16 or over classified by their rating of how happy they were yesterday and the overall mean rating, July-September 2013.
            
    Happy Yesterday  
    Low (0-4)Medium (5-6)High (7-8)Very High (9-10) TotalMeanUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
    %%%% %  
State 7.414.840.137.7 100.07.713,292
Sex         
 Male 7.115.340.437.2 100.07.75,279
 Female 7.714.339.738.2 100.07.78,013
Age group          
 16-19  4.210.738.147.0 100.08.1169
 20-24  9.015.541.034.5 100.07.5445
 25-29  7.414.839.038.8 100.07.7805
 30-34  6.915.241.936.0 100.07.61,374
 35-39  6.414.543.235.9 100.07.71,464
 40-44  8.516.540.134.9 100.07.51,427
 45-49  9.415.842.831.9 100.07.41,283
 50-54  8.515.740.135.7 100.07.51,193
 55-59  7.014.943.234.9 100.07.61,103
 60-64  8.213.836.841.3 100.07.71,084
 65-69  6.815.634.942.8 100.07.8935
 70-74  6.113.335.744.9 100.07.9773
 75-79  6.814.735.443.1 100.07.8578
 80+  6.013.039.241.9 100.07.9659
ILO Economic Status         
 In employment 5.913.542.238.4 100.07.86,609
 Unemployed 10.821.139.428.7 100.07.2979
 Not economically active 8.615.137.438.9 100.07.65,704
Region         
 Border 6.715.647.330.3 100.07.51,631
 Midland 7.718.136.937.3 100.07.6893
 West 6.113.938.042.0 100.07.81,254
 Dublin 8.715.739.436.2 100.07.63,080
 Mid-East 7.515.240.836.4 100.07.61,339
 Mid-West 6.710.838.544.0 100.07.91,219
 South-East 7.215.537.539.7 100.07.71,576
 South-West 6.412.941.139.6 100.07.82,300
Marital Status         
 Single  8.015.840.236.0 100.07.63,971
 Married  5.813.140.440.7 100.07.97,154
 Widowed  9.615.638.636.2 100.07.51,156
 Divorced or legally separated 13.519.738.228.6 100.07.11,011
Self reported health¹ status         
 Very good 4.59.939.146.5 100.08.15,351
 Good 6.717.143.832.4 100.07.55,437
 Fair 12.621.636.129.7 100.07.12,010
 Bad/Very bad 36.126.524.113.3 100.05.4494
Highest education level attained        
 Primary or below 9.718.334.337.8 100.07.52,200
 Lower secondary 7.414.838.339.5 100.07.71,802
 Higher secondary 7.714.240.937.1 100.07.72,787
 Post leaving cert  8.815.339.236.7 100.07.61,674
 Third level  5.813.542.738.0 100.07.84,619
 Other/not stated 7.517.742.432.4 100.07.4210
Degree of urbanisation        
 Densely-populated area 8.615.939.136.4 100.07.64,044
 Intermediate density area 8.214.541.835.5 100.07.63,329
 Thinly-populated area 5.814.039.940.3 100.07.85,919
1Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.  
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 2.4 All persons aged 16 or over classified by their rating of how anxious they were yesterday and the overall mean rating, July-September 2013.
            
    Anxious Yesterday  
    Very Low (0-1)Low (2-3)Medium (4-5)High (6-10) TotalMeanUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
    %%%% %  
State 51.820.812.714.6 100.02.313,265
Sex         
 Male 52.721.312.413.7 100.02.25,262
 Female 51.020.512.915.6 100.02.38,003
Age group          
 16-19  58.618.77.415.3 100.02.0168
 20-24  47.921.416.514.2 100.02.4444
 25-29  53.421.113.312.1 100.02.1805
 30-34  49.522.010.817.6 100.02.41,373
 35-39  51.021.413.114.5 100.02.21,459
 40-44  49.022.712.715.6 100.02.41,428
 45-49  49.720.513.816.0 100.02.41,277
 50-54  49.921.313.415.4 100.02.41,192
 55-59  51.919.613.315.2 100.02.31,099
 60-64  55.617.911.714.8 100.02.11,080
 65-69  55.119.214.211.5 100.02.1934
 70-74  57.719.210.912.3 100.02.0773
 75-79  49.423.813.213.7 100.02.3576
 80+  54.721.712.111.4 100.02.0657
ILO Economic Status         
 In employment 53.820.811.513.9 100.02.16,603
 Unemployed 43.923.817.415.0 100.02.5976
 Not economically active 51.020.313.215.5 100.02.45,686
Region         
 Border 50.921.914.013.2 100.02.21,620
 Midland 56.016.114.213.8 100.02.1893
 West 48.520.114.716.6 100.02.41,249
 Dublin 49.119.513.817.6 100.02.53,070
 Mid-East 57.122.110.410.4 100.01.91,339
 Mid-West 45.524.411.918.2 100.02.61,218
 South-East 55.821.510.911.9 100.02.01,578
 South-West 54.721.711.312.4 100.02.12,298
Marital Status         
 Single  51.021.712.414.9 100.02.33,960
 Married  54.219.712.213.9 100.02.27,144
 Widowed  49.322.913.114.7 100.02.31,153
 Divorced or legally separated 42.322.017.318.3 100.02.91,008
Self reported health¹ status         
 Very good 60.519.19.111.3 100.01.85,340
 Good 48.222.814.115.0 100.02.45,430
 Fair 40.621.817.719.9 100.02.92,002
 Bad/Very bad 20.618.324.936.2 100.04.5493
Highest education level attained        
 Primary or below 48.621.614.015.8 100.02.42,189
 Lower secondary 54.618.812.514.1 100.02.21,796
 Higher secondary 51.820.612.315.3 100.02.32,785
 Post leaving cert  52.420.313.713.6 100.02.21,673
 Third level  51.721.811.914.6 100.02.24,613
 Other/not stated 52.419.717.710.2 100.02.1209
Degree of urbanisation        
 Densely-populated area 48.720.013.917.4 100.02.54,033
 Intermediate density area 50.722.413.813.1 100.02.23,328
 Thinly-populated area 55.420.610.913.1 100.02.05,904
1Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.  
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 2.5 All persons aged 16 and over classified by their rating of how satisfied they are with their level of education and the overall mean rating, July-September 2013.
            
    Education Satisfaction  
    Low (0-4)Medium (5-6)High (7-8)Very High (9-10) TotalMeanUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 and over)
    %%%% %  
State 9.923.735.930.5100.07.213,287
Sex         
 Male 10.424.336.828.5 100.07.15,282
 Female 9.323.135.132.5 100.07.38,005
Age group          
 16-19  5.811.937.644.7 100.07.9169
 20-24  12.421.335.630.6 100.07.1444
 25-29  12.223.234.230.5 100.07.1808
 30-34  8.520.540.031.0 100.07.41,373
 35-39  8.723.437.630.3 100.07.31,466
 40-44  10.426.236.826.6 100.07.11,430
 45-49  9.426.537.826.2 100.07.11,282
 50-54  9.728.834.427.1 100.07.11,198
 55-59  9.725.835.728.8 100.07.21,103
 60-64  11.823.534.430.3 100.07.21,082
 65-69  10.726.531.731.1 100.07.1938
 70-74  10.423.634.631.4 100.07.3772
 75-79  10.124.231.634.2 100.07.3576
 80+  8.527.931.332.3 100.07.2646
ILO Economic Status          
 In employment 7.622.038.532.0 100.07.46,626
 Unemployed 16.329.230.723.8 100.06.6982
 Not economically active 11.524.833.630.1 100.07.15,679
Region         
 Border 11.727.338.722.3 100.06.91,635
 Midland 10.523.337.828.4 100.07.2885
 West 8.221.335.934.6 100.07.51,244
 Dublin 10.723.734.431.1 100.07.23,071
 Mid-East 11.526.036.226.2 100.07.01,337
 Mid-West 10.219.332.038.5 100.07.41,219
 South-East 7.924.734.133.3 100.07.41,583
 South-West 7.722.739.330.3 100.07.42,313
Marital Status         
 Single  10.621.836.531.0 100.07.23,972
 Married  8.524.336.331.0 100.07.37,157
 Widowed  10.027.433.629.0 100.07.11,148
 Divorced or legally separated 15.328.031.525.2 100.06.71,010
Self reported health¹ status         
 Very good 6.318.236.838.8 100.07.75,355
 Good 10.227.537.724.6 100.07.05,445
 Fair 17.929.730.421.9 100.06.51,999
 Bad/Very bad 23.931.623.920.6 100.06.1488
Highest education level attained        
 Primary or below 22.731.926.518.9 100.06.12,184
 Lower secondary 13.832.031.622.6 100.06.71,802
 Higher secondary 10.125.936.827.3 100.07.12,791
 Post leaving cert  10.530.038.720.8 100.06.91,675
 Third level  3.113.339.444.3 100.08.14,625
 Other/not stated 6.929.043.420.7 100.07.0210
Degree of urbanisation        
 Densely-populated area 11.223.334.131.4 100.07.24,033
 Intermediate density area 9.623.838.228.4 100.07.13,331
 Thinly-populated area 8.824.136.131.0 100.07.35,923
1Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.  
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 2.6 All persons aged 16 or over classified by their rating of their health and the overall mean rating , July-September 2013.
            
    Self reported health¹  
    Very goodGoodFairBad/Very bad TotalMeanUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
    %%%% %  
State 44.739.113.03.2 100.01.813,382
Sex         
 Male 44.140.412.33.2 100.01.75,324
 Female 45.337.913.63.3 100.01.88,058
Age group          
 16-19  70.727.01.70.6 100.01.3169
 20-24  62.531.45.20.8 100.01.4445
 25-29  56.736.95.80.6 100.01.5812
 30-34  57.635.95.11.4 100.01.51,381
 35-39  58.232.67.61.5 100.01.51,473
 40-44  49.337.910.22.5 100.01.71,443
 45-49  42.542.112.23.2 100.01.81,286
 50-54  36.644.814.93.7 100.01.91,203
 55-59  32.743.418.15.8 100.02.01,111
 60-64  26.644.722.16.6 100.02.11,093
 65-69  24.246.223.26.4 100.02.1944
 70-74  15.852.226.65.4 100.02.2777
 75-79  16.644.931.07.5 100.02.3582
 80+  11.244.135.98.7 100.02.4663
ILO Economic Status          
 In employment 54.238.36.70.9 100.01.56,648
 Unemployed 46.142.010.61.2 100.01.7989
 Not economically active 31.639.622.06.9 100.02.15,745
Region         
 Border 43.339.514.42.8 100.01.81,648
 Midland 35.046.813.05.2 100.01.9898
 West 37.244.615.42.7 100.01.81,260
 Dublin 49.933.912.43.8 100.01.73,093
 Mid-East 51.034.911.22.9 100.01.71,340
 Mid-West 44.540.312.62.5 100.01.71,227
 South-East 41.842.312.53.5 100.01.81,587
 South-West 42.042.413.12.5 100.01.82,329
Marital Status         
 Single  52.435.49.92.3 100.01.63,998
 Married  43.941.611.62.9 100.01.77,199
 Widowed  17.542.831.38.4 100.02.31,165
 Divorced or legally separated 29.939.923.66.7 100.02.11,020
Highest education level attained        
 Primary or below 17.341.632.19.0 100.02.32,220
 Lower secondary 39.041.814.94.4 100.01.91,815
 Higher secondary 48.838.910.02.4 100.01.72,811
 Post leaving cert  46.140.111.12.7 100.01.71,681
 Third level  54.836.57.41.2 100.01.64,642
 Other/not stated 37.346.012.74.0 100.01.8213
Degree of urbanisation        
 Densely-populated area 48.035.612.83.6 100.01.74,063
 Intermediate density area 45.039.612.33.0 100.01.73,355
 Thinly-populated area 41.541.913.53.0 100.01.85,964
1Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.  
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 3.1 All persons aged 16 or over who volunteered, classified by sex and by their rating of life satisfaction, worthwhile, happy yesterday, anxious yesterday, education satisfaction and self reported health1, July-September 2013.
 
    MaleFemaleTotal Unweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
    %%%  
Life Satisfaction     
Low (0-4) 4.44.94.7 199
Medium (5-6) 17.917.617.7 732
High (7-8) 47.346.146.7 1,948
 Very High (9-10) 29.229.829.5 1,276
 Not Stated 1.31.61.4 58
 Total 100.0100.0100.0 4,213
Worthwhile      
 Low (0-4) 1.92.32.1 80
 Medium (5-6) 13.610.311.9 471
 High (7-8) 49.346.547.8 1,972
 Very High (9-10) 33.939.136.5 1,620
 Not Stated 1.41.91.7 70
 Total 100.0100.0100.0 4,213
Happy Yesterday      
 Low (0-4) 5.67.16.4 274
 Medium (5-6) 12.612.912.7 521
 High (7-8) 41.236.638.8 1,597
 Very High (9-10) 39.241.940.6 1,758
 Not Stated 1.41.61.5 63
 Total 100.0100.0100.0 4,213
Anxious Yesterday      
 Very Low (0-1) 53.250.151.6 2,193
 Low (2-3) 19.918.919.4 812
 Medium (4-5) 1212.612.3 515
 High (6-10) 13.116.815.0 623
 Not Stated 1.81.71.7 70
 Total 100.0100.0100.0 4,213
Education Satisfaction      
 Low (0-4) 9.28.68.9 359
 Medium (5-6) 22.920.921.8 919
 High (7-8) 35.034.935.0 1,513
 Very High (9-10) 31.534.132.8 1,358
 Not Stated 1.51.61.5 64
 Total 100.0100.0100.0 4,213
Self reported health1 status      
 Very good 43.846.044.9 1,781
 Good 42.738.740.6 1,782
 Fair 10.912.011.5 528
 Bad/Very bad 1.71.81.8 74
 Not Stated [0.9][1.4][1.2] 48
 Total 100.0100.0100.0 4,213
1Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.
Figures in parentheses [ ] indicate percentages/averages based on small numbers and are, therefore, subject to a wide margin of error.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 3.2 All persons aged 16 or over who did not volunteer classified by sex and by their rating of life satisfaction, worthwhile, happy yesterday, anxious yesterday, education satisfaction and self reported health1, July-September 2013.
 
    MaleFemaleTotal Unweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
    %%%  
Life Satisfaction     
Low (0-4) 6.15.25.6 572
Medium (5-6) 16.617.517.0 1,682
High (7-8) 46.245.245.7 4,399
 Very High (9-10) 24.927.126.0 2,505
 Not Stated 6.34.95.6 497
 Total 100.0100.0100.0 9,655
Worthwhile      
 Low (0-4) 5.03.24.1 404
 Medium (5-6) 15.113.014.0 1,346
 High (7-8) 47.544.746.1 4,429
 Very High (9-10) 25.433.629.5 2,910
 Not Stated 7.15.56.3 566
 Total 100.0100.0100.0 9,655
Happy Yesterday      
 Low (0-4) 7.37.57.4 722
 Medium (5-6) 15.314.114.7 1,438
 High (7-8) 37.438.738.1 3,718
 Very High (9-10) 34.134.634.3 3,267
 Not Stated 6.05.05.5 510
 Total 100.0100.0100.0 9,655
Anxious Yesterday      
 Very Low (0-1) 48.948.548.7 4,684
 Low (2-3) 20.219.920.0 1,956
 Medium (4-5) 11.712.312.0 1,178
 High (6-10) 13.014.213.6 1,307
 Not Stated 6.35.25.7 530
 Total 100.0100.0100.0 9,655
Education Satisfaction      
 Low (0-4) 10.29.19.6 932
 Medium (5-6) 23.322.623.0 2,341
 High (7-8) 35.133.034.1 3,218
 Very High (9-10) 25.530.127.8 2,649
 Not Stated 5.85.25.5 515
 Total 100.0100.0100.0 9,655
Self reported health1 status      
 Very good 42.042.942.4 3,596
 Good 37.135.636.3 3,694
 Fair 12.113.412.8 1,499
 Bad/Very bad 3.53.73.6 428
 Not Stated 5.24.54.8 438
 Total 100.0100.0100.0 9,655
1Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 3.3 All persons aged 16 or over who volunteered classified by age group and by their rating of life satisfaction, worthwhile, happy yesterday, anxious yesterday, education satisfaction and self reported health1, July-September 2013.
 
    Age classification  
    16-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465+Total Unweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
    %%%%%%%  
Life Satisfaction         
Low (0-4) 2.64.64.57.04.82.74.7 199
Medium (5-6) 16.719.118.920.417.312.217.7 732
High (7-8) 38.053.353.346.943.639.146.7 1,948
 Very High (9-10) 41.122.121.724.232.844.729.5 1,276
 Not Stated 1.60.81.61.61.51.31.4 58
 Total 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0 4,213
Worthwhile          
 Low (0-4) 3.71.62.13.11.80.72.1 80
 Medium (5-6) 13.613.412.212.711.38.411.9 471
 High (7-8) 47.053.551.148.145.540.747.8 1,972
 Very High (9-10) 34.229.932.834.739.448.736.5 1,620
 Not Stated 1.61.71.81.42.01.51.7 70
 Total 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0 4,213
Happy Yesterday          
 Low (0-4) 3.67.86.68.06.14.26.4 274
 Medium (5-6) 12.313.814.113.610.711.112.7 521
 High (7-8) 39.340.739.342.238.032.238.8 1,597
 Very High (9-10) 43.236.838.134.843.651.240.6 1,758
 Not Stated 1.60.92.01.51.51.41.5 63
 Total 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0 4,213
Anxious Yesterday          
 Very Low (0-1) 54.947.249.847.455.158.451.6 2,193
 Low (2-3) 16.323.320.420.416.317.819.4 812
 Medium (4-5) 11.511.911.013.113.612.412.3 515
 High (6-10) 15.716.616.617.313.09.715.0 623
 Not Stated 1.61.12.11.81.91.61.7 70
 Total 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0 4,213
Education Satisfaction          
 Low (0-4) 9.410.49.87.48.28.58.9 359
 Medium (5-6) 16.821.524.525.020.018.921.8 919
 High (7-8) 22.134.537.237.936.333.835.0 1,513
 Very High (9-10) 50.132.626.628.533.637.132.8 1,358
 Not Stated 1.61.01.81.11.91.71.5 64
 Total 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0 4,213
Self reported health1 status          
 Very good 62.755.953.944.533.426.044.9 1,781
 Good 27.835.836.040.445.753.240.6 1,782
 Fair 5.16.17.812.116.818.211.5 528
 Bad/Very bad 2.91.30.81.83.11.61.8 74
 Not Stated [1.6][0.8][1.5][1.1][1.1][1.0][1.2] 48
 Total 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0 4,213
1Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.
Figures in parentheses [ ] indicate percentages/averages based on small numbers and are, therefore, subject to a wide margin of error.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 3.4 All persons aged 16 or over who did not volunteer classified by age group and by their rating of life satisfaction, worthwhile, happy yesterday, anxious yesterday, education satisfaction and self reported health1, July-September 2013.
 
             
    Age classification  
    16-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465+Total Unweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
    %%%%%%%  
Life Satisfaction         
Low (0-4) 4.04.16.18.46.65.65.6 572
Medium (5-6) 13.217.118.221.119.713.817.0 1,682
High (7-8) 42.750.348.945.042.841.745.7 4,399
 Very High (9-10) 32.223.421.720.425.134.126.0 2,505
 Not Stated 7.95.15.15.25.84.85.6 497
 Total 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0 9,655
Worthwhile          
 Low (0-4) 3.22.93.94.64.75.84.1 404
 Medium (5-6) 12.813.213.316.714.314.614.0 1,346
 High (7-8) 42.750.447.746.745.641.446.1 4,429
 Very High (9-10) 32.927.629.126.728.932.329.5 2,910
 Not Stated 8.45.95.95.36.55.86.3 566
 Total 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0 9,655
Happy Yesterday          
 Low (0-4) 7.26.77.39.17.87.07.4 722
 Medium (5-6) 12.314.615.116.215.514.714.7 1,438
 High (7-8) 36.638.340.238.538.735.738.1 3,718
 Very High (9-10) 37.135.332.131.031.937.634.3 3,267
 Not Stated 6.75.05.35.26.05.05.5 510
 Total 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0 9,655
Anxious Yesterday          
 Very Low (0-1) 49.249.546.847.948.749.948.7 4,684
 Low (2-3) 19.220.021.419.818.920.620.0 1,956
 Medium (4-5) 11.311.412.913.111.012.112.0 1,178
 High (6-10) 13.214.113.413.715.112.313.6 1,307
 Not Stated 7.15.15.55.56.35.25.7 530
 Total 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0 9,655
Education Satisfaction          
 Low (0-4) 8.59.58.910.311.310.09.6 932
 Medium (5-6) 15.820.523.427.625.826.723.0 2,341
 High (7-8) 36.836.335.033.031.929.734.1 3,218
 Very High (9-10) 32.128.827.524.025.028.127.8 2,649
 Not Stated 6.84.95.25.16.05.55.5 515
 Total 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0 9,655
Self reported health1 status          
 Very good 63.055.051.134.625.913.642.4 3,596
 Good 27.234.833.243.040.642.236.3 3,694
 Fair 2.95.08.913.620.631.212.8 1,499
 Bad/Very bad 0.20.92.44.27.78.63.6 428
 Not Stated 6.74.34.34.65.24.34.8 438
 Total 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0 9,655
1Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.  
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 3.5 Mean rating of life satisfaction, worthwhile, happy yesterday, anxious yesterday, education satisfaction and self reported health1 for persons aged 16 or over who volunteered, July-September 2013.
 
    Life Satisfaction Worthwhile Happy yesterday Anxious yesterday Education satisfaction Self reported health²
    Mean ratingUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over) Mean ratingUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over) Mean ratingUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over) Mean ratingUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over) Mean ratingUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over) Mean ratingUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
                     
State 7.64,155 8.04,143 7.84,150 2.34,143 7.44,149 1.74,165
Sex                  
 Male 7.61,635 7.91,633 7.81,632 2.11,626 7.31,630 1.71,641
 Female 7.62,520 8.12,510 7.82,518 2.42,517 7.42,519 1.72,524
Age group                   
 16 - 19 [8.1]33 [8.0]33 [8.4]33 [2.3]33 [8.1]33 [1.5]33
 20 - 24 7.875 7.775 7.775 2.475 7.375 1.575
 25 - 29 7.4174 7.8172 7.7174 2.5174 7.3174 1.5174
 30 - 34 7.3316 7.9314 7.6315 2.5315 7.2315 1.5316
 35 - 39 7.4415 7.9414 7.8414 2.4413 7.1414 1.5415
 40 - 44 7.4492 7.9491 7.7490 2.3490 7.2492 1.6493
 45 - 49 7.2514 7.9515 7.5515 2.6513 7.3516 1.7516
 50 - 54 7.5448 8.0447 7.6447 2.5447 7.2449 1.8449
 55 - 59 7.4435 8.0433 7.8434 2.3432 7.5433 1.9435
 60 - 64 7.8404 8.1402 8.0405 1.8404 7.5403 1.9408
 65 - 69 8.0360 8.3358 8.1358 2.0359 7.5358 1.9361
 70 - 74 8.2264 8.5264 8.4264 1.6264 7.5262 2.0264
 75 - 79 8.4144 8.6144 8.1145 2.1144 7.7145 1.9145
 80+ 8.381 8.481 8.581 1.380 7.580 2.181
ILO Economic Status                  
 In employment 7.62,177 8.02,173 7.82,176 2.32,174 7.52,179 1.62,181
 Unemployed 6.5298 7.3295 7.5295 2.4295 6.7298 1.6298
 Not economically active7.81,680 8.21,675 7.91,679 2.21,674 7.41,672 1.91,686
Region                  
 Border 7.5472 8.0469 7.8470 2.1469 7.0471 1.7473
 Midland 7.5329 8.1328 7.7329 2.1329 7.4327 1.9329
 West 7.8440 8.0437 8.0439 2.4436 7.6438 1.7440
 Dublin 7.4947 7.9947 7.6949 2.5944 7.2947 1.7951
 Mid-East 7.5393 7.9394 7.8394 2.1394 7.1394 1.6394
 Mid-West 7.8447 8.1447 8.0448 2.6448 7.6447 1.7450
 South-East 7.8418 8.1416 8.0416 1.9417 7.5418 1.7418
 South-West 7.7709 8.0705 7.9705 2.1706 7.5707 1.8710
Marital Status                  
 Single 7.5997 7.8992 7.7992 2.4992 7.4993 1.6997
 Married 7.72,507 8.12,503 7.92,505 2.22,502 7.42,505 1.72,514
 Widowed 7.6298 8.1296 7.8299 2.0297 7.2298 2.0299
 Divorced or legally separated7.1353 7.8352 7.4354 2.7352 7.1353 2.0355
Self reported health1 status                 
 Very good 7.91,778 8.21,774 8.21,777 1.91,773 7.81,778 n/an/a
 Good 7.51,778 7.91,774 7.71,775 2.51,775 7.21,775 n/an/a
 Fair 6.8525 7.5521 7.3524 2.9521 6.6522 n/an/a
 Bad/Very bad5.674 6.874 6.174 3.874 6.374 n/an/a
Highest education level attained                 
 Primary or below 7.5418 8.0416 7.6416 2.3412 6.1416 2.2422
 Lower secondary 7.7540 8.0538 7.9539 2.0539 6.6538 1.9541
 Higher secondary 7.6840 7.9838 7.8837 2.4836 7.3838 1.6841
 Post leaving cert  7.3574 7.9573 7.7575 2.4574 6.8574 1.7576
 Third level  7.71,728 8.11,725 7.91,728 2.31,728 8.11,728 1.61,730
 Other/not stated 7.655 7.953 7.455 2.554 7.755 2.055
Degree of urbanisation                 
 Densely-populated area7.41,286 7.81,283 7.71,287 2.51,281 7.31,284 1.71,290
 Intermediate density area7.5947 7.9947 7.8943 2.4946 7.3947 1.7949
 Thinly-populated area7.81,922 8.21,913 8.01,920 2.01916 7.51,918 1.71,926
1 Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.    
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Figures in parentheses [ ] indicate percentages/averages based on small numbers and are, therefore, subject to a wide margin of error.
Table 3.6 Mean rating of life satisfaction, worthwhile, happy yesterday, anxious yesterday, education satisfaction and self reported health1 for persons aged 16 or over who did not volunteer, July-September 2013.
 
    Life Satisfaction Worthwhile Happy yesterday Anxious yesterday Education satisfaction Self reported health²
    Mean ratingUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over) Mean ratingUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over) Mean ratingUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over) Mean ratingUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over) Mean ratingUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over) Mean ratingUnweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
                     
State 7.59,151 7.79,084 7.69,142 2.29,122 7.29,138 1.89,217
Sex                  
 Male 7.43,651 7.53,615 7.63,647 2.23,636 7.13,652 1.83,683
 Female 7.55,500 7.95,469 7.65,495 2.35,486 7.35,486 1.85,534
Age group                   
 16 - 19 8.2134 8.0133 8.0136 1.9135 7.8136 1.3136
 20 - 24 7.5370 7.7368 7.5370 2.4369 7.1369 1.4370
 25 - 29 7.4629 7.7624 7.7631 2.0631 7.1634 1.5638
 30 - 34 7.51,062 7.71,054 7.61,059 2.41,058 7.41,058 1.51,065
 35 - 39 7.41,055 7.81,042 7.61,050 2.21,046 7.31,052 1.51,058
 40 - 44 7.2938 7.6935 7.4937 2.4938 7.0938 1.7950
 45 - 49 7.1764 7.5765 7.4768 2.3764 6.9766 1.8770
 50 - 54 7.1749 7.5746 7.5746 2.4745 6.9749 1.9754
 55 - 59 7.3672 7.7667 7.5669 2.3667 7.0670 2.0676
 60 - 64 7.4678 7.6673 7.5679 2.3676 7.0679 2.2685
 65 - 69 7.6581 7.7574 7.6577 2.1575 6.9580 2.3583
 70 - 74 7.7511 7.7508 7.7509 2.2509 7.2510 2.4513
 75 - 79 7.8432 7.7428 7.8433 2.3432 7.2431 2.5437
 80+ 7.9576 7.7567 7.8578 2.1577 7.2566 2.5582
ILO Economic Status                  
 In employment 7.64,439 7.94,418 7.84,433 2.14,429 7.44,447 1.54,467
 Unemployed 6.4683 6.9669 7.1684 2.6681 6.6684 1.7691
 Not economically active7.54,029 7.73,997 7.54,025 2.44,012 7.04,007 2.14,059
Region                  
 Border 7.31,163 7.61,144 7.41,161 2.31,151 6.81,164 1.81,175
 Midland 7.3563 7.5559 7.5564 2.1564 7.0558 1.9569
 West 7.8815 7.9804 7.8815 2.4813 7.4806 1.9820
 Dublin 7.32,126 7.62,117 7.52,131 2.52,126 7.22,124 1.72,142
 Mid-East 7.3946 7.8942 7.6945 1.8945 6.9943 1.7946
 Mid-West 7.6773 7.9767 7.9771 2.6770 7.3772 1.8777
 South-East 7.61,168 7.91,166 7.71,160 2.01,161 7.31,165 1.81,169
 South-West 7.61,597 7.71,585 7.81,595 2.01,592 7.31,606 1.81,619
Marital Status                  
 Single 7.42,979 7.62,947 7.62,979 2.22,968 7.22,979 1.63,001
 Married 7.64,660 7.94,636 7.84,649 2.24,642 7.24,652 1.84,685
 Widowed 7.4855 7.4848 7.4857 2.4856 7.1850 2.4866
 Divorced or legally separated6.6657 7.2653 6.9657 2.9656 6.6657 2.1665
Self reported health1 status                 
 Very good 8.03,568 8.13,551 8.13,574 1.83,567 7.73,577 n/an/a
 Good 7.43,675 7.63,651 7.53,662 2.33,655 6.93,670 n/an/a
 Fair 6.71,487 7.11,468 7.01,486 2.91,481 6.51,477 n/an/a
 Bad/Very bad 5.2421 5.6414 5.3420 4.7419 6.1414 n/an/a
Highest education level attained                 
 Primary or below 7.41,786 7.41,764 7.51,784 2.51,777 6.11,768 2.41,798
 Lower secondary 7.51,266 7.71,253 7.61,263 2.21,257 6.71,264 1.81,274
 Higher secondary 7.51,951 7.71,945 7.61,950 2.31,949 7.01,953 1.71,970
 Post leaving cert  7.31,099 7.71,091 7.51,099 2.21,099 6.91,101 1.71,105
 Third level  7.62,893 7.82,877 7.72,891 2.22,885 8.12,897 1.52,912
 Other/not stated 7.3156 7.4154 7.4155 2.0155 6.8155 1.8158
Degree of urbanisation                 
 Densely-populated area7.42,752 7.62,736 7.52,757 2.52,752 7.22,749 1.72,773
 Intermediate density area7.42,388 7.72,368 7.52,386 2.22,382 7.12,384 1.72,406
 Thinly-populated area7.64,011 7.83,980 7.83,999 2.03,988 7.24,005 1.84,038
1 Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.
Table 4 Personal Wellbeing1 in Ireland and UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)2 2013 / 2014.
 
    2013 / 2014  
    Low (0–4)Medium (5-6)High (7-8)Very High (9-10)TotalMean rating Unweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
    %%%%%  
Life Satisfaction 
International Comparison        
Ireland 5.618.148.228.1100.07.5 13,308
UK 5.616.051.726.8100.07.5166,325
England 5.616.152.026.3100.07.5120,775
 Wales 6.016.250.327.5100.07.519,690
 Scotland 5.214.952.327.7100.07.623,140
 Northern Ireland 4.615.044.036.4100.07.72,720
    Worthwhile  
 Ireland 3.714.149.233.1100.07.813,227
 UK 4.214.049.232.6100.07.7165,719
 England 4.214.249.332.3100.07.7120,292
 Wales 4.513.748.633.3100.07.819,625
 Scotland 4.313.350.531.9100.07.723,080
 Northern Ireland 3.311.343.242.2100.08.02,722
  Happy Yesterday  
 Ireland 7.414.840.137.7100.07.713,292
 UK 9.717.140.732.6100.07.4166,238
 England 9.717.240.732.4100.07.4120,709
 Wales 10.216.939.633.4100.07.419,679
 Scotland 9.816.541.532.3100.07.423,131
 Northern Ireland 7.813.640.138.5100.07.72,719
    
    Very Low (0–1)Low (2-3)Medium (4-5)High (6-10)TotalMean rating Unweighted sample (number of persons aged 16 or over)
    %%%%%  
  Anxious Yesterday 
 Ireland 51.820.812.714.6100.02.313,265
 UK 39.423.716.920.0100.02.9165,989
 England 39.223.817.020.0100.02.9120,496
 Wales 39.522.416.821.3100.03.019,666
 Scotland 40.822.716.620.0100.02.923,113
 Northern Ireland 41.427.214.516.8100.02.82,714
1Adults aged 16 and over were asked 'Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?', 'Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?', 'Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?' and 'Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?' where '0' is 'not at all' and '10' is 'completely'.
2All estimates weighted.
Estimates may not add to 100% due to rounding.
Source: UK Figures April 2013 to March 2014 Annual Population Survey Personal Well-being Experimental datasets, Office for National Statistics. Ireland's data are from QNHS Q3 2013 survey.
Table 5 All persons aged 16 or over classified by their rating of life satisfaction and self reported health1 and overall mean rating, comparison of EU SILC module 2013 and QNHS module July-September 2013.
 
    Life Satisfaction
    QNHS SILC
    Low (0-5)Medium (6-8)High (9-10)TotalMean rating Low (0-5)Medium (6-8)High (9-10)TotalMean rating
    %%%%  %%%% 
State 14.557.328.1100.07.5 16.752.730.6100.07.4
Sex            
Male 14.658.227.2100.07.5 16.454.129.5100.07.4
Female 14.556.529.0100.07.5 16.951.631.5100.07.4
Age group    100.0     100.0 
 16-24 9.954.535.6100.07.8 13.054.832.2100.07.7
 25-34 13.062.924.1100.07.4 15.756.527.8100.07.5
 35-49 17.261.021.8100.07.3 19.656.024.4100.07.2
 50-64 16.855.327.8100.07.4 18.651.829.6100.07.3
 65-74 13.149.237.7100.07.8 11.843.844.3100.07.9
 75+ 11.648.639.8100.07.9 11.946.741.4100.07.8
    Self reported health1
    QNHS SILC
    Very goodGoodFairBad/ Very badTotal Very goodGoodFairBad/ Very badTotal
    %%%%  %%%% 
State 44.739.113.03.2100.0 42.340.114.13.6100.0
Sex            
Male 44.140.412.33.2100.0 42.840.813.03.3100.0
Female 45.337.913.63.3100.0 41.839.315.03.9100.0
Age group           
 16-24 66.329.43.60.7100.0 66.029.04.20.7100.0
 25-34 57.236.35.51.1100.0 55.036.47.31.3100.0
 35-44 53.935.28.92.0100.0 49.340.08.52.2100.0
 45-64 35.343.716.44.6100.0 32.345.417.44.9100.0
 65-74 20.648.724.76.0100.0 20.046.027.46.6100.0
 75+ 13.644.433.88.2100.0 14.541.834.29.5100.0
1Self reported health is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'very good' and 5 is 'very bad'.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values.

Background Notes

Reference Period

A module on volunteering and a separate pilot module on subjective wellbeing were included in the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) in the three months from July to September 2013 (quarter 3).

Purpose of survey    

The QNHS began in September 1997, replacing the annual April Labour Force Survey (LFS). The purpose of the survey is the production of quarterly labour force estimates and occasional reports on special social topics. The survey meets the requirements of Council Regulation (EC) No. 577/98, adopted in March 1998, which requires the introduction of quarterly labour force surveys in EU member states.

Questionnaire  

Volunteering 

The definition for volunteering has been taken from the International Labour Organization’s “Manual on the measurement of volunteer work”. The definition is “Unpaid non-compulsory work, that is, time individuals give without pay to activities performed either through an organisation or directly for others outside their own home”.

A number of key features of this definition are:

  1. It involves work.
  2. It is unpaid (other than allowable expenses).
  3. It is not compulsory.
  4. It does not include work done without pay for members of the volunteer’s own household.
  5. It relates to work which is carried out in Ireland only.

It includes both ‘direct’ and ‘organisation-based’ volunteering. The time frame was the four week period prior to the date the respondent was interviewed.

Each respondent was asked to list up to ten different types of volunteering activity in which they were involved over the previous four weeks. A typical volunteering activity could be, for example, meals-on-wheels, coaching a football team, Tidy Towns work etc. The majority of respondents carried out just one type of volunteering activity in that time period. Each time a respondent listed a type of volunteering activity it was recorded separately as a volunteering activity linked with that respondent. Thus, as some volunteers recorded more than one type of volunteering activity, there were more volunteering activities than respondents.

The hours were calculated per volunteering occupation and then aggregated to reflect all the volunteering hours which each respondent spent volunteering over the previous four week period. These hours were then annualised using a multiplier of 13. No adjustment was made for any seasonal effects. The hours were recorded under the separate headings of ‘direct’ and ‘organisation-based’ volunteering.

Subjective Wellbeing

Over the last two decades an increasing body of evidence has emerged showing that subjective well-being can be measured in surveys, that such measures are valid and reliable, and that they can usefully inform policy making. The "Stiglitz/Sen/Fitoussi" Commission in particular recommended developing Quality of Life indicators covering multidimensional measures of people's conditions that contribute to their life satisfaction.

Taking account of a survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics in the UK in 2012, the four questions used there in relation to subjective well-being, along with a self-reported health question and a satisfaction with education question were included on a pilot basis in the Quarterly National Household survey in Q3 2013. 

The six questions included were:

  • Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?
  • Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?
  • Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?
  • Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?
  • How satisfied are you with your level of education?
  • How is your health?

The first five questions were answered using a 0 to 10 scale where 0 is ‘not at all’ and 10 is ‘completely’.  The health question had five levels of response using a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is ‘very good’ and 5 ‘very bad’. The ‘anxious yesterday’ question had a reversed scoring scheme where ‘0’ is the best possible outcome as the respondent would be ‘not at all’ anxious. 

Individual Reference Person

The volunteering questions were asked of persons aged 15 years and over.

The subjective wellbeing questions were asked of persons aged 16 and over.

Grossing Effect

The QNHS grossing procedure aligns the distribution of persons covered in the survey with independently determined population estimates at the level of sex, five-year age group and region.

Reliability of Estimates Presented

In general for QNHS modules estimates of the number of persons where there are fewer than 30 persons in a cell are too small to be considered reliable. These estimates are presented with an asterisk (*) in the relevant tables.

Where there are 30-49 persons in a cell, estimates are considered to have a wide margin of error and should be treated with caution. These cells are presented with parentheses [ ].

Note on tables

The sum of row or column percentages in the tables in this report may differ slightly from 100.0%.

Classifications

Region

The regional classification in this release is based on the NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units) classification used by Eurostat. The NUTS3 regions correspond to the eight Regional Authorities established under the Local Government Act, 1991 (Regional Authorities) (Establishment) Order, 1993, which came into operation on 1 January 1994. The NUTS2 regions, which were proposed by Government and agreed by Eurostat in 1999, are groupings of the NUTS3 regions. The composition of the regions is set out below.

Border, Midlands and Western NUTS 2 Region

Border

Cavan

Donegal

Leitrim

Louth

Monaghan

Sligo

Midland

Laois

Longford

Offaly

Westmeath

West

Galway City

Galway County

Mayo

Roscommon

Southern and Eastern NUTS2 Region

Dublin

Dublin

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown

Fingal

South Dublin

Mid-East

Kildare

Meath

Wicklow

Mid-West

Clare

Limerick City

Limerick County

North Tipperary

South-East

Carlow

Kilkenny

South Tipperary

Waterford City

Waterford County

Wexford

South-West

Cork City

Cork County

Kerry 

ILO Labour Force Classification

The primary classification used for the QNHS results is the ILO (International Labour Office) labour force classification.  Labour Force Survey data on this basis have been published since 1988.  The ILO classification distinguishes the following main subgroups of the population aged 15 or over:

In Employment: Persons who worked in the week before the survey for one hour or more for payment or profit, including work on the family farm or business and all persons who had a job but were not at work because of illness, holidays etc. in the week.

Unemployed: Persons who, in the week before the survey, were without work and available for work within the next two weeks, and had taken specific steps, in the preceding four weeks, to find work.

Inactive Population (not in labour  force): All other persons.

The labour force comprises persons employed plus unemployed.

Highest level of education attained

This classification is derived from a single question and refers to educational standards that have been attained and can be compared in some measurable way and it is included in the core QNHS on an on-going basis. The question is phrased as follows:

“What is the highest level of education or training you have attained?”

Degree of urbanisation

This classification is created from an aggregation of population density estimates derived from the Census of Population. The categories included in each aggregate are explained below:

(1) Thinly populated area refers to rural areas

(2) Intermediate density area refers to towns and suburbs

(3) Densely populated area refers to cities, urban centres and urban areas

QNHS Social Modules

While the main purpose of the QNHS is the production of quarterly labour force estimates, there is also a provision for the collection of data on social topics through the inclusion of special survey modules. The selection of the major national modules undertaken to date has been largely based on the results of a canvass of users (over 100 organisations) that was conducted by the CSO in 1996, 2002, 2006, 2008 and most recently 2011. The results of the canvass are presented to the National Statistics Board and they are asked to indicate their priorities for the years ahead. The schedule for social modules in any given year is based on the following structure:

Quarter 1

Annual modules including Accidents and Illness and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Quarter 2

EU module (always covered under EU legislation)

Quarter 3

National module.

Quarter 4

National module.

The table below outlines some of the social modules published to date in the QNHS.

Quarter  Social Module

Q2 2013 Sports and Physical Exercise Module

Q3 2012  Effect on Households of the Economic Downturn

Q2 2012  Retirement Planning

Q2 2012  Parental Involvement in Children’s Education

Q2 2012  Union Membership

Q1 2012  Unemployment Thematic Report

Q2 2011  Response of Households to the Economic Downturn

Q2 2011  Educational Attainment Thematic Report

Q2 2011  Voter Participation

Q4 2010  Equality

Q3 2010  Health

Q2 2010  Cross Border Shopping

Q2 2010  Educational Attainment

Q1 2010  Crime and Victimisation

Q4 2009  Pensions

Q3 2009  Carers

Q2 2009  Union Membership

Q2 2009  Cross Border Shopping

Q3 2008  Lifelong Learning

Q1 2008  Pension Provision

Q4 2007  Childcare

Q3 2007  Health

Q2 2007  Union Membership

Q1 2007  Work–related Accidents and Illness (Q1 2003-Q1 2007)

Q4 2006  Crime and Victimisation

Q3 2006  Sport and Physical Exercise

Q4 2005  Pension Provision

Q4 2005  Special Saving Incentive Accounts (SSIAs)

Q3 2005  Recycling and Energy Conservation

Q2 2005  Reconciliation Between Work and Family Life

Q2 2005  Educational Attainment

Q1 2005  Childcare

Q4 2004  Equality

Q2 2004  Union Membership

Q2 2004  Work Organisation and working time

Q4 2003  Crime and Victimisation

Q3 2003  Housing

Q2 2003  Life long learning

 

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