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Personal Life

Personal Life

CSO statistical publication, , 11am

This chapter looks at the relationships of 25-year-olds in terms of their current relationship status and changes in their relationships with their parents since the last time they were interviewed at 20 years old. The main results were:

  • A majority (58.5%) of respondents said they were in a romantic relationship.
  • Just over one in twenty (5.6%) of this group of 25-year-olds had children. 
  • Over one in ten (10.7%) respondents provided care for a family member on a regular basis, which excluded childcare of their own children.
  • Respondents most often shared personal thoughts and feelings with their friends, followed by their romantic partners, and their mothers.
  • Men reported taking part in group and individual sports for fun and relaxation at a higher rate than women.

Romantic Partnerships

Almost six in ten (58.5%) respondents were in a romantic relationship: either dating one person, cohabiting, engaged, married or in a civil partnership (See Figure 4.1).

Dating one person was the most common form of relationship listed (46.4%) with less than one-eighth (12.1%) in a more formal relationship (cohabiting, engaged, married or in a civil partnership). Of those in a romantic relationship, just over a quarter (28.4%) were living with their partner (See Table 4.1).

Figure 4.1 Relationship status of respondents aged 25 years
Table 4.1 Respondents aged 25 years living with partner

Just over five percent (5.6%) of respondents in Cohort '98 at age 25 said they had children (See Table 4.2)This is broadly in line with more nationally representative figures: for example, in the most recent Census of Population in Ireland (2022), 7.2% of 25-year-olds reported they had children.

Table 4.2 Whether or not respondents aged 25 years have children

Family Connections

Respondents were asked if their relationships with their mother and father, as appropriate, had changed since they were last interviewed at 20 years of age (See Figure 4.2).

There was a general trend for respondents to say that maternal relationships had improved (40.6% of respondents), with those still living in the parental home (40.0%) and those who had moved out (42.1%) reporting similar levels of positive change to the relationship. Just 4.1% of respondents said there had been a negative change to their relationship with their mother since they were 20.

Relationships between respondents and their fathers showed a similar pattern but at reduced levels. Overall, 32.1% of respondents said the relationship with their father had improved. Of respondents still living in the parental home, some 31.5% said there had been a positive change to their relationship with their father since they were 20 years old compared with 33.5% for those who had moved out. Just 4.2% of respondents said their relationship with their father had disimproved since they were last interviewed.

Overall, respondents said their relationship had improved with their same-sex parent more frequently, compared with their opposite sex parent. Over two in five (43.7%) women said their relationship with their mother had improved compared with 37.4% of men. This gap was less pronounced for fathers with 32.9% of men saying their relationship with their father had improved compared with 31.4% of women.

Figure 4.2 Proportion of respondents aged 25 who said their relationship with their parents had improved since age 20

More than one in ten (10.7%) respondents to the survey said they regularly provided care to another family member (See Table 4.3). This included tasks such as cooking for them, helping them wash or dress, making sure they take medication, or supervising them when there was no one else at home. This did not include looking after their own children, unless extra help was considered necessary.

Table 4.3 Respondents aged 25 years by whether or not they provided care for a family member

Friends and Feelings

Respondents were asked to list those who they could confide in with issues and feelings they had (See Figure 4.3). Both men and women said they would be most likely to go to a friend, a partner, or their mother with personal issues. For women, 48.2% said they would talk to a friend, 47.3% would talk to their partner, and more than two-fifths, 41.4%, would talk to their mother about personal matters. Men would talk to the same groups about their personal issues with 44.1% confiding in a friend, however men would talk to their mother (36.3%) as often as they would talk to their partner (36.7%) about personal feelings.

Figure 4.3 Person who respondents said they talked to about personal thoughts and feelings

Respondents were asked, how many (if any) of their friends would they consider to be close friends, they could answer all or nearly all; some; or none (See Table 4.4). Most of the respondents said some of their friends were close friends. In terms of sex, 64.1% of men and 60.8% of women considered some of their friends as close friends. However, 5.5% of respondents stated they had no close friends.

Table 4.4 Friendship status of respondents aged 25 years

Time to Relax

Listening to music (76.4%), watching TV (75.1%) or going to pubs, parties or nightclubs (64.0%) were the most popular activities reported by respondents (See Figure 4.4).

A sex difference can be seen in activities chosen for fun or relaxation: men, compared with women, more often said they participated in a sport with others (41.0% compared with 15.9%) and participated in individual sports (54.0% compared with 39.0%).

Women, compared with men, more often said they preferred walking/hiking (68.4% compared with 59.1%), watching television (78.4% compared with 71.7%), spending time with pets (42.4% compared with 34.2%) and reading for pleasure (40.0% compared with 33.4%).

Activities that did not differ between women and men included listening to music (77.7% of women and 75.2% of men), going out to pubs, parties, or nightclubs (63.3% of women and 64.7% of men), craftwork and hobbies (20.4% of women and 19.9% of men), and spending time singing or playing a musical instrument (15.3% of women and 18.2% of men).

Figure 4.4 Activities carried out for fun by respondents aged 25 years