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Growing up in Ireland

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Online ISSN: 2009-6747
CSO statistical release, , 11am

Key Findings

  • Education

    • Most 20-year-olds had a positive experience at secondary school. 64% of them said they had liked secondary school, and 95% had completed the Leaving Certificate.
    • Over half of 20-year-olds were in a third level course, and a quarter were in employment.
    • 14% of 20-year-olds did not go on to further education after secondary school.

     

  • Health

    • Three in four 20-year-olds reported being in excellent or very good health, and 94% had also stayed in good health between the ages of 9 and 17.
    • Almost half had had between 1 and 3 GP visits in the previous year.
    • Almost one in five were diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety.

     

  • Substance use

    • A quarter of 20-year-olds said that they drank alcohol at least twice a week, and over half had engaged in binge drinking at least monthly.
    • More than three in five are non-smokers, while 14% smoke daily.
    • One in four 20-year-olds smoke cannabis at least occasionally, and more than one in five had taken cocaine in the last year.

     

  • Activities

    • The majority of 20-year-olds had at least 3 friends.
    • Half of 20-year-olds did some form of exercise on at least 7 of the previous 14 days.
    • Over half spent more than three hours a day online outside of work.
    • 70% of males played video games compared to 20% of females.

     

Statistician's Comment

Most 20-year-olds had a positive experience at secondary school, and 95% had completed the Leaving Certificate. The average CAO point score among this group was 385 out of a maximum of 625. 14% of 20-year-olds had not gone onto further education after the Leaving Certificate. More than half were in a third level course, and a quarter were in employment.

The majority of 20-year-olds said they were in good health. Most had also stayed “very healthy” between the ages of 9 and 17. About half of 20-year-olds had visited their GP between 1 and 3 times in the previous year, while a quarter had not attended the GP at all in that period.

When asked about their mental health, about one in five reported having been diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety. Of these one in eight said they had not received treatment. While most 20-year-olds said they could talk to their friends about personal thoughts and feelings, one in five men and one in ten women said they could not.

A quarter of 20-year-olds said that they drank alcohol at least twice a week, and over half had engaged in binge drinking at least monthly. More than three in five don’t smoke, while 14% smoke daily. One in four said that they smoke cannabis at least occasionally, and more than one in five had taken cocaine in the past year.

The majority of 20-year-olds had at least 3 friends, and described some of these as “close” friends. Most had done some form of exercise in the previous 2 weeks. Over half spent more than three hours a day online outside of work. 70% of males played video games compared to 20% of females. A third had volunteered in the previous 6 months.

Tables and Graphs

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