CensusAtSchool is a non-profit making project funded by organisations interested in promoting good use of statistics, mathematics and data handling. Ireland became involved in CensusAtSchool in 2009 when the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), the CSO, Project Maths and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) collaborated to set-up the Irish website www.censusatschool.ie.
8,610 secondary school students from 243 schools completed the Phase 12 questionnaire of the CensusAtSchool survey between August 2012 and August 2013. The questionnaire covered a variety of topics ranging from how students travelled to school to how much they use the internet and what types of musical instruments they play. Details of the CensusAtSchool project and more results from Phase 12 can be found on the website www.censusatschool.ie.
Interesting findings from Phase 12 results:
What is the main musical instrument you play?
Overall 45% of students stated they play a musical instrument. Chart 2 highlights the ten most popular instruments listed by the respondents.
| Instrument | |
| Piano | 30.25 |
| Guitar | 24.48 |
| Tin Whistle | 13.36 |
| Violin | 4.99 |
| Recorder | 4.95 |
| Drums (kit) | 4.37 |
| Flute | 3.59 |
| Accordion | 1.79 |
| Saxophone | 1.24 |
| Banjo | 1.1 |
Which of the following (electronic or computer related devices/software) do you have?
The most popular device selected from the listed items was a Games console (67%). Just 0.5% of respondents stated they had none of the devices listed in Chart 3.
| Electronic device ownership or usage | Electronic Device |
|---|---|
| Your own Bebo page | 16.66 |
| Your own Twitter page | 34.08 |
| A TV in your bedroom | 39.78 |
| Skype on a computer at home | 50.28 |
| Your own MP3 player e.g. iPod | 59.86 |
| Access to the internet from your mobile phone | 62.56 |
| Your own Facebook page | 63.27 |
| A game console at home | 67.39 |
In how many languages can you hold an everyday conversation?
40% of students stated they could hold an everyday conversation in three languages. Just 1% stated they could hold a conversation in five or more languages.
| Number of languages | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1 Language | 26.26 |
| 2 Languages | 27.81 |
| 3 Languages | 40.16 |
| 4 Languages | 4.36 |
| 5 or more Languages | 1.41 |
Is there a language you would like to learn that is not currently available in your school?
A breakdown by gender of the students indicated females (44%) favour Spanish more than male students (35%) while males (9%) favoured studying Japanese more than females (4%).
| X-axis label | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | 35.69 | 44.81 |
| Chinese | 12.34 | 10.83 |
| Italian | 11.65 | 18.62 |
| Japanese | 8.95 | 4.44 |
| German | 7.11 | 5.75 |
| Russian | 4.65 | 1.63 |
| Latin | 2.75 | 2.45 |
| Portugese | 2.35 | 0.01 |
| Mandarin | 1.84 | 1.54 |
| Other | 12.67 | 9.92 |
How long does it take and what method do you use to travel to school?
Nearly half of students (47%) normally travel to school by car. The highest percentage of car travel to school takes place in Waterford (69%) and Sligo (65%). Students in Fingal (29%) and Leitrim (35%) relied least on car travel.
| X-axis label | Modes of Transport |
|---|---|
| Car | 47.31 |
| Bus | 26.7 |
| Walk | 21.02 |
| Cycle | 2.09 |
| Rail (Luas, Dart, etc) | 1.39 |
| Boat | 0.93 |
| Other | 0.55 |
| X-axis label | Time In Minutes |
|---|---|
| 41-50 | 2.7 |
| 31-40 | 5.76 |
| 21-30 | 12.09 |
| 11-20. | 32.6 |
| 0-10 | 44.17 |
How long is it since your last haircut?
Almost half of the students (43%) stated they had their last haircut less than four weeks ago. 59% of male students had a haircut in the four weeks prior to participating in the survey while a smaller percentage of females (29%) stated they had a haircut over the same time period.
| X-axis label | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| Football | 22.92 | 12.83 |
| Boxing | 11.44 | 12.32 |
| Athletics | 7.64 | 8.84 |
| Shooting | 5.59 | 7.61 |
| Archery | 5.56 | 7.36 |
| Basketball | 5.49 | 5.99 |
| Swimming | 3.93 | 5.56 |
| Cycling | 3.84 | 4.13 |
| Weightlifting | 3.45 | 3.65 |
| Badminton | 3.32 | 3.65 |
Almost one-third of female students (30%) indicated they paid €20 to €30 for a haircut while just 2% of male students indicated this to be the price they paid. The majority of male students (59%) indicated they paid less than €10 euros for their haircut.
| X-axis label | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| Eur 0 - 9.99 | 58.8 | 18.19 |
| Eur 10 - 19.99 | 36.36 | 21.92 |
| Eur 20 - 29.99 | 1.89 | 30.15 |
| Eur 30 - 39.99 | 0.36 | 13.95 |
| Eur 40 - 49.99 | 0.33 | 6.35 |
| Eur 50 or more | 2.28 | 9.42 |
If you could take part in the Olympics, in which sport would you like to represent Ireland?
The Chart shows the top 10 sports chosen by students out of the 28 listed.
| X-axis label | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| Football | 22.92 | 12.83 |
| Boxing | 11.44 | 12.32 |
| Athletics | 7.64 | 8.84 |
| Shooting | 5.59 | 7.61 |
| Archery | 5.56 | 7.36 |
| Basketball | 5.49 | 5.99 |
| Swimming | 3.93 | 5.56 |
| Cycling | 3.84 | 4.13 |
| Weightlifting | 3.45 | 3.65 |
| Badminton | 3.32 | 3.65 |
The Royal Statistical Centre for Statistical Education (RSSCSE) started the CensusAtSchool project in 2000 in conjunction with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) in the UK. The project, originally a one-off, was linked to the UK population census of 2001. It has now developed into a dynamic, on-going and exciting initiative running in a number of countries.
8,610 secondary school attendees from 243 secondary schools completed the Phase12 questionnaire of the CensusAtSchool survey between August 2012 and August 2013. Because the survey is voluntary and not part of a representative sampling process, the results of the survey are less reliable in providing inferences about the overall secondary school student population.
|
Table 1 CensusAtSchool Phase12 responses classified by school year and gender | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School Year | Male | Female | Not Stated | Total |
| 1st | 1282 | 1309 | 189 | 2780 |
| 2nd | 707 | 985 | 97 | 1789 |
| 3rd | 354 | 236 | 36 | 626 |
| 4th | 168 | 105 | 21 | 294 |
| Transition | 740 | 996 | 90 | 1826 |
| 5th | 421 | 518 | 38 | 977 |
| 6th | 133 | 156 | 29 | 318 |
| Total | 3805 | 4305 | 500 | 8610 |
CensusAtSchool Phase 12 participation as a percentage of student population classified by Administrative County
Note: The map only includes survey response when the roll number on the questionnaire response matched a school roll number provided by the Department of Education and Skills.
Hide Background Notes
Scan the QR code below to view this release online or go to
http://www.cso.ie
Show Background Notes
Hide Background Notes