SILC Module on the Intergenerational Transmission of Disadvantages 2019

Purpose of Survey

The primary focus of the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) is the collection of information on the income and living conditions of different types of households in Ireland, to derive indicators on poverty, deprivation and social exclusion.  It is a voluntary (for selected respondents) survey of private households.  It is carried out under EU legislation (Council Regulation No 1177/2003) and commenced in Ireland in June 2003.  

Each year, ad hoc modules are carried out to complement variables collected as part of the SILC survey.  The title of the 2019 SILC ad hoc module was titled ‘Intergenerational Transmission of Disadvantages’.

Reference period

Information is collected continuously throughout the year with household interviews being conducted on a weekly basis.  In 2019, the achieved sample size was 4,183 households and 10,698 individuals.

Methodology

Module response rate

The 2019 ad hoc module was asked of each SILC respondent aged 25-59.  The overall response rate for the 2019 module was 92.5%.

Sample design

The following is a brief overview of the revised SILC sample methodology:

• The SILC sample is a multi-stage cluster sample resulting in all households in Ireland having an equal probability of selection.
• The sample is stratified by NUTS4 and quintiles derived from the Pobal HP (Haase and Pratschke) Deprivation Index.
• In the 2018 sample the clusters are based on Census Enumeration Areas, rather than the Household Survey Collection Unit Small Areas used in the 2014 sample.
• A sample of 1,200 blocks (i.e. Census Enumeration Areas, Census 2016) from the total population of blocks is selected.
• Blocks are selected using probability proportional to size (PPS), where the size of the block is determined by the number of occupied households on Census night 2016.
• All occupied households on Census night 2016 within each block are eligible for selection in the SILC sample.
• Households within blocks are selected using simple random sampling without replacement (SRS) for inclusion in the survey sample.

Weighting

A design weight is assigned to each household which is calculated as the inverse proportion to the probability with which the household was sampled. For SILC, the probability of the selection of a household is based on two elements; the probability of the selection of a block and the probability of selection of a household within that block.  These weights are then calibrated to known population totals from census data and Labour Force Survey (LFS) data using the CALMAR macro in SAS. This final weight is then applied to each individual in the household.

The SILC personal weights were not adjusted for module non-response in the analysis of the 2019 ad-hoc module.

See SILC 2019 Background Notes for further information on SILC methodology.

Module classifications

Highest level of education achieved

The education level of parents refers to the highest level of education attained by either parent present in the household before or during the period when the respondent was 14 years old.

Educational attainment is categorised for this report into three groups:

1. Lower secondary education or below, including
   • No formal education/training
   • Primary education: NFQ Levels 1 or 2, FETAC Level 1 or 2 Cert. or equivalent
   • Lower secondary: NFQ Level 3, Junior/Inter/Group Cert., FETAC Level 3 Cert., FÁS Introductory Skills, NCVA Foundation, Cert. or equivalent

1. Upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education, including
   • Upper Secondary: NFQ Levels 4 or 5, Leaving Cert. (including Applied and Vocational programmes) or equivalent
   • Technical or Vocational: NFQ Levels 4 or 5, FETAC Level 4/5 Cert., NCVA Level 1/2, FÁS Specific Skills, Teagasc Cert. in Agriculture, CERT Craft Cert. or equivalent
   • Advanced Certificate/Completed Apprenticeship: NFQ Level 6, FETAC Advanced Cert., NCVA Level 3, FÁS National Craft Cert., Teagasc Farming Cert., CERT Professional Cookery Cert. or equivalent

1. Third level education, including
   • Higher Certificate: NFQ Level 6 NCEA/HETAC National Cert. or equivalent
   • Ordinary Bachelor Degree or National Diploma: NFQ Level 7
   • Honours Bachelor Degree/Professional qualification or both: NFQ Level 8
   • Postgraduate Diploma or Degree: NFQ Level 9, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters Degree or equivalent
   • Doctorate (Ph.D) or higher NFQ Level 10

Work Status

Work status is defined in this report as

• At work (covering full-time and part-time employment as well as self-employment)
• Not at work (everyone else)

Number of parents at work

The number of parents at refers to the work status of parents present in household when the respondent was 14 years old.

• No parent at work
• One parent at work
• Two parents at work

Financial situation of the teenage household

Respondents were asked to rate the financial situation of their home at the age of 14 years old, with six possible responses ranging from ‘very good’ to ‘very bad’.  For this report, the responses are grouped into three categories:

• Good (includes the responses ‘very good’ and ‘good’)
• Moderate (includes the responses ‘moderately good’ and ‘moderately bad’)
• Bad (includes the responses ‘bad’ and ‘very bad’)

Number of parents living in the teenage household

Respondents were asked if their father and mother were present in the household at the age of 14 years old.

Teenage tenancy status

Teenage tenancy status refers to the nature of the accommodation in which the respondent resided at the age of 14 years old.  The status is provided by the respondent during the interview and responses are classified into the following two categories:

• Owner-occupied
• Rented or rent free

Home Ownership

A proxy for home ownership of the respondent is derived from a combination of tenure status and questions determining the two people in the current household responsible for the accommodation.

Indicators

At risk of poverty rate 

This is the share of persons with an equivalised income below a given percentage (usually 60%) of the national median income.  It is also calculated at 40%, 50% and 70% for comparison.  The rate is calculated by ranking persons by equivalised income from smallest to largest and then extracting the median or middle value.  Anyone with an equivalised income of less than 60% of the median is considered at risk of poverty at a 60% level.

Deprivation rate

Households that are excluded and marginalised from consuming goods and services which are considered the norm for other people in society, due to an inability to afford them, are considered to be deprived.  The identification of the marginalised or deprived is currently achieved on the basis of a set of eleven basic deprivation indicators:

1. Two pairs of strong shoes
2. A warm waterproof overcoat
3. Buy new (not second-hand) clothes
4. Eat meal with meat, chicken, fish (or vegetarian equivalent) every second day
5. Have a roast joint or its equivalent once a week
6. Had to go without heating during the last year through lack of money
7. Keep the home adequately warm
8. Buy presents for family or friends at least once a year
9. Replace any worn out furniture
10. Have family or friends for a drink or meal once a month
11. Have a morning, afternoon or evening out in the last fortnight for entertainment

Individuals who experience two or more of the eleven listed items are considered to be experiencing enforced deprivation.  This is the basis for calculating the deprivation rate.

Consistent poverty

The consistent poverty measure looks at those persons who are defined as being at risk of poverty and experiencing enforced deprivation (experiencing two or more types of deprivation).

An individual is defined as being in ‘consistent poverty’ if they are

• Identified as being at risk of poverty and
• Living in a household deprived of two or more of the eleven basic deprivation items listed above 

Acknowledgement

The Central Statistics Office wishes to thank the participating households for their co-operation in agreeing to take part in the SILC survey and for facilitating the collection of the relevant data.