Well-being - Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2024

Three in ten persons in owner-occupied accommodation report high overall life satisfaction

In 2024, respondents living in owner-occupied accommodation were more likely to report a high overall satisfaction level with their lives, with three in ten (28.8%) of this group reporting high overall satisfaction compared with two in ten (20.3%) 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. The percentage of respondents who lived in rented accommodation that reported low overall satisfaction level with their lives in 2024 was more than double the rate for respondents who lived in owner-occupied accommodation (16.9% and 8.0% respectively). See figure 5.1 and PxStat table WBB16.

Four in ten persons in rented accommodation report low financial satisfaction

In 2024, almost four in ten (38.6%) respondents living in rented accommodation reported a low overall satisfaction level with the financial situation of their household, double the rate (19.0%) for those living in owner-occupied accommodation. One in five (21.7%) 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 two times lower at 9.4%. See figure 5.2 and PxStat table WBB16.

  

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 2024, one in five (20.1%) renters reported feeling lonely. The comparable rate for respondents living in owner-occupied accommodation was 12.2%. 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 PxStat table WBB26.

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

SILC respondents to the 2024 survey who described their Principal Economic Status (PES) as ‘Unable to work due to long-standing health problems’ or ‘unemployed’ reported much higher rates of low overall life satisfaction when compared with other groups. One in three (32.6%) respondents who were unable to work due to long-standing health problems and one in five (19.0%) unemployed respondents reported low overall life satisfaction in 2024. The comparable rate for retirees was 9.6%. See figure 5.4 and PxStat table WBB13.

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

In 2024, respondents who were ‘unable to work due to long-standing health problems’ were most likely to report feeling downhearted or depressed at least some of the time in the four-week period prior to their interview, with four in ten (39.3%) of this group reporting feeling this way in 2024. See figure 5.5 and PxStat table WBB23.

Married persons most likely to report high life satisfaction

Analysis of overall life satisfaction by marital status shows that, in 2024 married respondents were more likely to report high overall life satisfaction with three in ten (29.6%) reporting a high satisfaction rate compared with two in ten (20.0%) respondents who were separated.

Separated and divorced respondents were more likely to report low overall life satisfaction, with rates of 22.7% and 25.4% respectively. Married respondents were less likely to report low overall life satisfaction with 7.9% of this group reporting low satisfaction. See figure 5.6 and PxStat table WBB19.

Married persons least likely to report feeling downhearted or depressed

When it comes to feeling downhearted or depressed, 9.1% of divorced respondents and 5.3% of separated 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 1.7%. 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 4.3%. See figure 5.7 and PxStat table WBB29.

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

Married respondents were less likely to report feeling lonely with less than one in ten (8.3%) reporting feeling lonely at least some of the time. The comparable rates for separated, widowed or divorced respondents was three times higher at approximately 30% for each of these three groups. See figure 5.8 and PxStat table WBB29.

Lower satisfaction rates for those at risk of poverty

An individual is defined as being at risk of poverty if their nominal equivalised disposable income is under the at risk of poverty threshold, i.e. 60% of the median nominal equivalised disposable income.

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. A set of 11 basic deprivation indicators is used to identify those deemed to be deprived.

The consistent poverty measure is defined as people who are both at risk of poverty and experiencing enforced deprivation. See fact sheet on poverty indicators for further information on how poverty indicators are calculated.

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. Almost two in ten (18.0%) people at risk of poverty had a low overall satisfaction rate with their lives, almost double the rate for people who were not at risk of poverty (9.7%). Just over six in ten (61.4%) people living in enforced deprivation had a low overall satisfaction rate with the financial situation of their household. The comparable rate for people not living in enforced deprivation was more than three times lower at 18.6%. See figure 5.9 and PxStat table WBB17.

People who were at risk of being poor, who were living in enforced deprivation or in consistent poverty in 2024 were also more likely to report feeling ‘downhearted or depressed’ or ‘lonely’ in the four-week period prior to their interview date. For example, almost four in ten (38.7%) respondents who were living in consistent poverty in 2024 reported feeling downhearted or depressed at least sometimes in the four-week period before their interview date compared with 14.7% of respondents who were not living in consistent poverty. The rates for feeling downhearted or depressed were higher for both groups in 2021 when Covid-19 related restrictions were in place. The 2021 rates for feeling downhearted or depressed at least sometimes in the four-week period prior to interview were 53.5% for those in consistent poverty and 21.0% for those not in consistent poverty. See figure 5.10 and PxStat table WBB27.