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Compliance and Well-being

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Survey respondents were asked to rate, on a scale from 0 (‘Not at all’) to 10 (‘Entirely’), the extent they were following the government’s current advice and guidelines regarding COVID-19.  Responses were grouped as Low (0-5), Medium (6-8) or High (9-10).

In August 2020, 75.4% of respondents rated their compliance with current government advice and guidelines as High compared to six in ten (59.9%) in June when the country was just about to enter Phase 3 of the Roadmap for reopening society and eight in ten (80.6%) in April approximately a month after restrictions were first introduced.  See Table 6.1 and Figure 6.1.

X-axis labelAprilJuneAugust
High Personal Compliance80.659.975.42

High compliance with Government’s advice and guidelines tends to increase with age, for example in August 2020, under seven in ten (65.5%) respondents aged 18-34 reported High compliance compared with almost nine in ten (88.3%) of respondents aged 70 and above.  While the percentage reporting High compliance has increased from June in all age groups, the percentage of respondents reporting High compliance is lower in August compared to April in all age groups except for the 70+ cohort whose compliance rate increased from 83.0% in April 2020 to 88.3% in August.  See Figure 6.2.

X-axis labelAprilJuneAugust
18-3475.158.465.54
35-4479.953.673.88
45-547851.572.44
55-6989.568.484.63
70 and over8371.488.29

Analysis of compliance with Government’s advice and guidelines by sex shows that a higher percentage of female respondents reported High compliance in April, June and August when compared with the rate for male respondents. For example, in August 77.8% of female respondents reported High compliance compared to 72.9% of male respondents.  See Table 6.1.

 

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Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction levels with various aspects of their lives (overall life satisfaction, satisfaction with the financial situation of their households, and satisfaction with personal relationships) on a scale from 0 (‘Not at all satisfied’) to 10 (‘Completely satisfied’).  The mean score for each satisfaction level indicator was calculated by adding individual scores and dividing the total by the number of individuals.  Responses were also grouped as Low (0-5), Medium (6-8), or High (9-10).

The well-being of respondents was also measured in the Social Impact of COVID-19 survey, April 2020. Well-being statistics from the August survey are compared with well-being statistics from the April 2020 survey and also with well-being statistics from 2013 and 2018, as collected by the Survey of Income and Living Conditions (SILC).

Notwithstanding some methodological differences between the Social Impact of COVID-19 surveys and SILC (See Background Notes), these well-being statistics represent significant periods in Irish society and together provide insight into how the well-being of the Irish people have evolved from 2013, when Ireland was suffering the effects of the 2008 Financial Crisis, to 2018, a time when the Irish economy was growing strongly, to April 2020, when Irish society first endured the impacts of COVID-19 and now to August 2020.

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In 2013, the mean overall life satisfaction score was 7.5. In 2018, a time of strong economic growth, the overall mean score increased to 8.1.  In April 2020, when restrictions were first introduced the score dropped to 6.5, which was lower than the 2013 score. In August 2020 the mean overall life satisfaction score has increased to 7.0.  See Table 6.2 and Figure 6.3.

X-axis label20132018April 2020August 2020
Mean Overall Life Satisfaction7.58.16.56.9561419

Due to a processing error, the 2013, 2018 and April 2020 values for the Low, Medium and High satisfaction indicators were incorrectly reported.  Figures 6.4 and 6.5, Tables 6.2, 6.3 and 6.4, and related text have been corrected as of 11.00am on 13/10/21.

In 2013, 31.1% of respondents aged 18 and over rated their overall life satisfaction as High.  This percentage increased to 44.2% in 2018 and then dropped to 12.1% in April 2020.  In August 2020 the percentage of respondents with a High overall life satisfaction rating has increased to 16.3%.  See Table 6.2

In both April and August 2020, respondents aged 18-34 were the least likely to report High overall life satisfaction (10.0% and 9.3% respectively).  Older respondents have seen an increase in the percentage reporting High overall life satisfaction since April 2020.  In April one in ten (10.3%) respondents aged 55-69 reported High overall life satisfaction compared with two in ten (20.1%) in August.  The percentage of respondents aged 70 and above reporting High overall life satisfaction in August has doubled since April (35.8% and 17.2% respectively).  See Figure 6.4.

X-axis label20132018April 2020August 2020
18-3431.448.8109.3
35-4425.237.314.113.2
45-5425.241.611.111.9
55-6935.746.810.320.1
70 and over42.244.517.235.8
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In both April and August approximately one in six respondents rated their satisfaction with their personal relationships as Low (17.3% and 16.0% respectively) whereas in both 2013 and 2018 approximately one in twenty respondents rated their satisfaction with their personal relationships as Low (5.2% and 5.1% respectively).  See Table 6.3.

Analysis by age group shows that between 2018 and April 2020 respondents aged 18-34 had the largest increase in the percentage reporting Low satisfaction with their personal relationships (4.2% and 26.6% respectively). This rate has fallen to 17.4% in August.  See Figure 6.5.

X-axis label20132018April 2020August 2020
18-3454.226.617.4
35-445.6613.221
45-546.77.314.817
55-694.73.418.513.6
70 and over3.64.76.27.5

Married respondents were the most likely to rate their satisfaction with their personal relationships as High in 2013 (69.9%), 2018 (68.3%) April 2020 (50.7%) and August 2020 (55.3%).  In August 2020, 27.6% of respondents that were separated, divorced or widowed rated their satisfaction with their personal relationships as High.  See Table 6.3.

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In 2013 the mean score for satisfaction with the financial situation of one’s household was 5.5, this score rose to 7.1 in 2018 and there hasn’t been a significant change in the 2018 mean score in either April (7.0) or August 2020 (7.1).  In August, respondents living in an owner-occupied dwelling had a mean score of 7.3 compared with 6.6 for those living in rented accommodation.  See Table 6.4 and Figure 6.6.

X-axis label20132018April 2020August 2020
Mean Satisfaction with Financial Situation 5.57.177.0893732

For further COVID-19 related information go to the CSO COVID-19 Information Hub.

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Table 6.1 Personal compliance by demographic and other characteristics, April, June and August 2020

Table 6.2 Overall life satisfaction 2013, 2018, April 2020, and August 2020

Table 6.3 Satisfaction with personal relationships, 2013, 2018, April 2020 and August 2020

Table 6.4 Satisfaction with financial situation, 2013, 2018, April 2020 and August 2020

Go to next chapter >>> Background Notes