Well-being - Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2023

Persons in rented accommodation report lower overall life satisfaction

In 2023, respondents living in owner-occupied accommodation were more likely to report a high satisfaction level with their overall lives, with one in three (33.4%) of this group reporting high satisfaction compared with less than one in five (18.1%) respondents living in rented accommodation. In 2021 the difference in the rates for high overall life satisfaction was smaller with 22.3% of those living in owner occupied accommodation and 18.8% of those living in rented accommodation reporting high overall life satisfaction. See figure 5.1 and table WBB16.

One in three persons in rented accommodation report low financial satisfaction

In 2023, more than one in three (36.5%) respondents living in rented accommodation reported a low overall satisfaction level with the financial situation of their household, more than double the rate (17.5%) for those living in owner-occupied accommodation. Almost one in four (23.0%) respondents living in owner-occupied accommodation reported high overall satisfaction with the financial situation of their household. The comparable rate for respondents living in rented accommodation was more than three times lower at 7.3%. See figure 5.2 and table WBB16.

These results are in keeping with results published in ‘Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC): Enforced Deprivation 2023’ which show that in 2023, 14.2% of rented households had great difficulty in making ends meet compared with 2.8% of owner-occupied households. In 2023 more than one in three (36.5%) people living in rented or rent-free accommodation were living in enforced deprivation, compared with less than one in ten (8.8%) living in owner-occupied housing. While less than a third (30.7%) of people lived in rented or rent-free accommodation, they made up almost two-thirds (64.7%) of people living in enforced deprivation.

One in five persons living in rented accommodation feel lonely at least some of the time

Respondents living in rented accommodation were more likely to report they felt lonely at least sometimes in the four-week period prior to their interview. In 2023, one in five (20.2%) renters reported feeling lonely, almost double the rate (11.6%) for those living in owner-occupied accommodation. In 2021, when COVID-19 related restrictions were in place almost one in three (32.5%) renters reported feeling lonely compared with less than one in five (18.7%) of those living in owner-occupied accommodation. See figure 5.3 and table WBB26.

Over one in three persons unable to work due to long-standing health problems report low overall life satisfaction

SILC respondents to the 2023 survey who described their Principal Economic Status (PES) as ‘unemployed’ or ‘unable to work due to long-standing health problems’ reported much higher rates of low overall life satisfaction. More than one in three (35.0%) respondents who were unable to work due to long-standing health problems and one in four (28.6%) unemployed respondents reported low satisfaction with their overall lives. The comparable rate for retirees was 5.6%. See figure 5.4 and table WBB13.

One in three unemployed persons feel ‘left out’

SILC respondents to the 2022 survey who described their PES as ‘unemployed’ or ‘unable to work due to long-standing health problems’ were also more likely to have answered ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ when asked ‘To what extent do you agree with the statement ‘I feel left out’ (Please consider your social life, work and access to public services)?’

Almost one in three (32.4%) unemployed respondents reported that they felt ‘left out’ compared with just of one in ten (11.6%) respondents who described themselves as retired and one in twenty (5.4%) students. See figure 5.5 and table WBB33.

Two in five persons unable to work due to long-standing health problems report feeling downhearted or depressed

Respondents in the ‘unemployed’ and ‘unable to work due to long-standing health problems’ principal economic status categories were also more likely to report feeling downhearted or depressed at least some of the time. The rates for reporting feeling downhearted or depressed have fallen for all groups since 2021. The largest decrease was for students going from 29.7% in 2021 to 14.9% in 2023. The smallest decrease was for unemployed respondents going from 39.3% in 2021 to 35.8% in 2023. See figure 5.6 and table WBB23.

Unemployed persons least likely to have someone whom they can ask for help

Respondents to the 2022 SILC survey were asked ‘Do you have any relatives, friends or neighbours who are not your household members that you can ask for help? (This means any kind of help: moral, material or financial?’ with ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ answers options.

Overall, 15.2% of unemployed respondents and 8.9% who were unable to work due to long-standing health problems reported they do not have somebody outside their household that they can ask for help. The comparable rate for retirees was 4.2%. See figure 5.7 and table WBB43.

Married persons most likely to report high life satisfaction

In 2023, married respondents were more likely to report high overall life satisfaction with one in three (33.1%) reporting a high satisfaction rate. The high overall life satisfaction rate for respondents who were separated was almost three times lower at 12.3%.

Separated respondents were more likely to report low overall life satisfaction. The low overall life satisfaction rate for separated respondents at 16.6% is likely to be higher as 5.0% of this age group either refused or were unable to rate their overall life satisfaction on the 0-10 scale. See figure 5.8 and table WBB19.

Four in five married persons feel happy ‘always’ or ‘most of the time’

In 2022, survey respondents were asked how often they felt happy in the four-week period prior to their date of interview. More than eight in ten (82.0%) married respondents said they felt happy either always or most of the time during the four-week period. The comparable rate for separated and divorced respondents was approximately six in ten (63.3% and 60.7% respectively). Almost seven in ten (69.6%) respondents who were never married and a similar percentage (72.0%) of widowed respondents said they felt happy either always or most of the time. See figure 5.9 and table WBB29.

Married persons least likely to report feeling downhearted or depressed

When it comes to feeling downhearted or depressed, one in ten (10.1%) divorced respondents said they felt like this always or most of the time in the four-week period prior to interview. The comparable rate for married respondents was 1.5%. One in twenty (5.4%) respondents who never married reported feeling downhearted or depressed always or most of the time. The rate for widowed respondents was 3.8%. See figure 5.10 and table WBB29.

Divorced, separated and widowed persons most likely to report feeling lonely

Married respondents were less likely to report feeling lonely with one in ten (9.2%) reporting feeling lonely at least some of the time. The comparable rate for separated, divorced, or widowed respondents was three times higher at approximately 30% for these three groups. See figure 5.11 and table WBB29.

Higher education levels do not necessarily correlate with higher job satisfaction

Analysis of job satisfaction level by highest level of education achieved shows that respondents with lower levels of education had higher overall satisfaction with their jobs. Almost half of respondents with a highest level of education of lower secondary or below reported a high job satisfaction level compared to one in four (25.2%) respondents with a third level degree or higher qualification. See figure 5.12 and table WBB14.

As already discussed in Chapter 4, respondents aged 65 years and older were more likely to report a higher satisfaction level with their jobs. Older respondents are more likely to have lower levels of education and the job satisfaction rates shown in Figure 5.12 are not controlled for age. The difference in job satisfaction levels by highest level of education is influenced by a higher proportion of older respondents with lower achieved levels of education.

A paper published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that ‘while better-educated individuals enjoy greater job resources (income, job autonomy, and job variety), they also tend to incur greater job demands (work hours, task pressure, job intensity, and time urgency). On average, these demands are associated with increased job stress and decreased job satisfaction, largely offsetting the positive gains associated with greater resources¹.

¹ Solomon BC, Nikolaev BN, Shepherd DA. Does educational attainment promote job satisfaction? The bittersweet trade-offs between job resources, demands, and stress. J Appl Psychol. 2022 Jul;107(7):1227-1241. doi: 10.1037/apl0000904. Epub 2021 Apr 22. PMID: 35737558.

Self-employed persons report highest levels of job satisfaction

Analysis of job satisfaction levels by employment sector shows that more than four in ten (42.3%) self-employed respondents reported a high satisfaction level with their job. The comparable rate for semi-state employees was 35.4%, 30.7% for public sector employees, and 25.3% for private sector employees . More than one in ten (10.5%) private sector employees reported low satisfaction with their job. The low rate for semi-state employees was 2.7%. See figure 5.13 and table WBB61.

Lower satisfaction rates for those at risk of poverty

Analysis of overall life satisfaction levels and satisfaction with household finances by poverty and enforced deprivation status shows that people at risk of poverty and people living in enforced deprivation have lower satisfaction levels. Two in ten (21.6%) people at risk of poverty had a low satisfaction rate with their overall lives, compared with one in ten (9.0%) people who were not at risk of poverty. Just over six in ten people (61.4%) people living in enforced deprivation had a low satisfaction rate with the financial situation of their household. The comparable rate for people not living in enforced deprivation was four times lower (15.5%). See figure 5.14 and table WBB17.