In the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2023, the consistent poverty rate was 15.9% for respondents aged 25-59 years where neither parent worked when the respondent was around 14 years old, seven times higher than the rate for respondents where both parents worked (2.3%).
Respondents aged 25-59 years who grew up in households with bad financial circumstances were three times more likely to be living in enforced deprivation in 2023 (34.9%), compared with those who grew up experiencing good financial circumstances (10.3%).
Almost half (47.7%) of respondents aged 25-59 years who grew up in a household where neither parent worked were not working themselves in 2023. In comparison 14.6% of respondents who grew up in a household where both parents worked were not working in 2023.
Of respondents aged 25-59 years whose parents had a third level education, eight in ten (79.7%) have a third level education. In comparison just over three in ten (33.7%) respondents whose parents had a low level of education had a third level education.
Seven in ten (71.3%) respondents aged 25-59 years who grew up in an owner-occupied household were themselves living in an owner-occupied household in 2023, compared with four in ten (39.3%) respondents who grew up in a rented household.
One in four (25.2%) respondents aged 25-59 years who grew up in households with bad financial circumstances rated their overall life satisfaction as low in 2023, compared with one in ten (9.3%) who grew up in households with good financial circumstances.
In 2023, individuals aged 25-59 years who grew up in households with bad financial circumstances were almost twice as likely to report their general health as being bad or very bad (6.6%), compared with those who reported good financial circumstances as a teenager (3.4%).
The Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) is a household survey covering a broad range of topics relating to income and living conditions. It is the official source of data on household and individual income and provides key national poverty indicators, such as the at risk of poverty rate, the consistent poverty rate, and rates of enforced deprivation. Results published in today’s release relate to respondents aged 25-59 years. This is the fifth release from the 2023 round of the SILC.
Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC): Enforced Deprivation 2023, published 07 March 2024, focused on deprivation.
Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2023, published 07 March 2024, focused on poverty and income indicators.
Well-Being 2023 Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), published 16 May 2024, focused on life satisfaction and other well-being.
Poverty Indicators by Health Status 2023 Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), published 25 June 2024, focused on self-reported health status variables.
This publication looks at the family and household experiences when the respondent was around 14 years, such as the financial situation of household, tenure status, and the presence, employment status, and highest level of education of respondents’ parents and their impact on poverty and social conditions in adulthood.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (14 November 2024) published the results from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2023 module on The Impact of Childhood Poverty Experiences on Adult Life 2023. This release looks at intergenerational poverty through the lens of poverty indicators and social conditions. The results are based on the responses of people aged 25-59 years in 2023 and their household experiences when they were teenagers, such as the employment status of their parents, highest level of education of their parents, financial circumstances of their household, and whether they lived in an owner-occupied or rented accommodation.
Commenting on today’s release, Lianora Bermingham, Statistician in the Income, Consumption and Wealth Division, said:
“Today’s results from the CSO’s SILC 2023 release indicate that individuals who experience disadvantages in childhood face an increased risk of experiencing poverty and deprivation as adults. It focuses on key factors such as parental education, childhood financial circumstances, and parental work status. The financial stability of the household during childhood significantly influences long-term outcomes, while the employment status of parents can either mitigate or exacerbate the effects of poverty. By examining these interconnected elements, this release aims to shed light on how early life conditions contribute to persistent cycles of disadvantage and the barriers to economic prosperity faced by future generations.
Poverty and Deprivation
In 2023, the overall at risk of poverty rate for people aged 25-59 years was 9.1% in 2023. The at risk of poverty rate was four times higher for those where neither of their parents were employed when they were a teenager (34.4%), compared with those who had one parent (8.9%), and two parents employed (7.0%).
One in three (32.5%) respondents whose parents were not employed as a teenager were living in enforced deprivation in 2023 compared with one in six (17.8%) who had one parent working and one in eight (11.8%) who had both parents working during their childhood.
The consistent poverty measure is defined as people who are both at risk of poverty and experiencing enforced deprivation. The consistent poverty rate was 15.9% in 2023 for those who grew up with neither parent employed as a teenager, seven times higher than for those with both parents employed (2.3%).
Income and Work Status
Lower educational levels achieved by parents and bad financial circumstances during childhood are both associated with being in the lowest income quintile as an adult. More than one in four (26.2%) respondents aged 25-59 years who grew up with parents who had attained a lower level of education (lower secondary education or below) were in the lowest income quintile, compared with one in ten (9.7%) respondents who had at least one parent with a third level education.
Almost three in ten (28.4%) respondents who experienced bad financial circumstances as a teenager were in the lowest income quintile in SILC 2023. In comparison, one in ten (11.1%) respondents who experienced good financial circumstances as a teenager were in the lowest income quintile.
Furthermore, this report suggests that the employment status of parents influences the employment status of their children. Almost half (47.7%) of respondents who grew up in a household where neither parent worked were themselves not working in 2023. In comparison, 14.6% of respondents who grew up in a household where both parents worked were not working in 2023.
Education and Tenure
Respondents were more likely to have achieved a third level education if they had at least one parent with a third level education. Of respondents aged 25-59 years whose parents had a third level education, eight in ten (79.7%) had a third level education. In comparison, just over three in ten (33.7%) respondents whose parents had a low level of education (lower secondary education or below) had a third level education.
Respondents who grew up in owner-occupied households were more likely to be living in an owner-occupied household in 2023. Seven in ten (71.3%) respondents aged 25-59 years who grew up in an owner-occupied household were themselves living in an owner-occupied household in 2023, compared with four in ten (39.3%) respondents who grew up in a rented household.
Well-Being and Health
One in four (25.2%) respondents who grew up in households with bad financial circumstances rated their current overall life satisfaction as low, compared with one in ten (9.3%) who grew up with good financial circumstances.
In 2023, individuals aged 25-59 years who experienced bad financial circumstances as a teenager were almost twice as likely to report their general health as being bad or very bad (6.6%), compared with those who reported good financial circumstances as a teenager (3.4%).”