Almost all 5-year-olds (96%) surveyed from Cohort ’08 had availed of the free preschool year in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme.
Across Cohort ’98 and Cohort ‘08, almost 80% of parents expected their child to obtain a degree or higher qualification.
More than 40% of girls at age 9 in Cohort ’08 always liked school compared with 25% of boys.
Growing Up in Ireland is the national longitudinal study of children and young people in Ireland. The study, which was launched in 2006 by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) and was formerly conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), is now jointly managed by DCDE and the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The study has followed more than 30,000 children and young people across successive cohorts born in 1998, 2008, and 2024.
The figures in this release are based on responses provided by Growing Up in Ireland survey participants. Further information on the study is available on the CSO website. The CSO would like to thank the participating respondents and their families for their ongoing co-operation in agreeing to take part in the GUI survey and for facilitating the collection of the relevant data.
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Celebrating 20 Years of Evidence and Insight in Education
As children and young people across Ireland return to classrooms, colleges, and training centres, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is marking the 20th anniversary of the country's longest running longitudinal study of children and young people, Growing Up in Ireland (GUI), by highlighting 20 key educational insights gained over that time.
Jointly managed by the CSO and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, GUI offers a unique opportunity to examine how educational experiences and outcomes have evolved across time for children and young people in Ireland, from preschool and primary school through to higher education and early adulthood.
The study has followed more than 30,000 children and young people across successive cohorts born in 1998, 2008, and 2024. The insights have informed policy development across education, childcare, wellbeing, inequality, and social inclusion, while providing unique evidence on how experiences in childhood can influence outcomes later in life.
The findings highlighted today show that early literacy skills, positive experiences of school, parental expectations, and socio-economic circumstances can influence educational aspirations, participation, and attainment well into adulthood.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Katie O'Farrell, Senior Statistician at the CSO and Head of Division for the Growing Up in Ireland Survey, said: "This time of year is synonymous with back to school – whether that’s the first day in junior infants, transitioning into secondary school, or beginning an exam year. It’s a good opportunity to reflect on what 20 years of Growing Up in Ireland has taught us about children's educational journeys.
One of the clearest messages from the study is the importance of early years education. In Cohort ’08, almost all 5-year-olds (96%) availed of the free preschool year under the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme, while most 5-year-olds (85%) were considered school ready by their parents. The findings also show that early literacy skills can have lasting effects, with children who performed strongly in vocabulary tests at age 5 more likely to report reading for fun every day at age 9.
Parents expectations of their child attaining at least a degree level qualification were almost universal: nearly 80% of parents in our older two cohorts expected their child to obtain a degree or higher qualification. Showing the contributory influence of this belief using Cohort ’98 data, nearly 70% of young adults whose parents held that expectation when they were 9, had achieved a degree by age 25.
A closer look at the data can reveal those who remain vulnerable in our society: Children from lower-income households in Cohort ’08 were less likely to achieve core language milestones at age 5 and were more likely to lack access to a suitable device, such as a laptop or tablet, for home learning during adolescence. When asked about their own academic abilities at age 13, 37% of children born in 1998 with Special Education Needs (SEN) expected to get a degree compared with 54% of those without SEN.
As Growing Up in Ireland marks its 20th anniversary, these findings demonstrate the value of long-term evidence in understanding how childhood and family experiences can influence aspirations, participation, and educational outcomes into adulthood."