You are here: Home / Statistics / Growing Up in Ireland Cohort ‘98 at Age 25: Childhood Influences on Education and Finances / Results

Growing Up in Ireland Cohort ‘98 at Age 25: Childhood Influences on Education and Finances

Results

CSO statistical release, 23 February 2026, 11am

A CSO Frontier Series Output

This release is categorised as a CSO Frontier Series Output. Particular care must be taken when interpreting the statistics in this release as it may use new methods which are under development and/or data sources which may be incomplete, for example, new administrative data sources.

A range of childhood factors can influence a person’s educational attainment and financial wellbeing in adulthood. In this chapter, we explore a number of these potential factors reported when the respondent was aged 9 and their association with educational attainment and financial wellbeing at the age of 25.

Logistic regression analysis was carried out to examine the relationship between these factors and the respondents’ level of education and financial wellbeing at age 25. Education levels and financial wellbeing in adulthood are likely to be influenced by many factors, as such the regression models presented do not include all factors that determine these outcomes. These results do not mean that a certain outcome is guaranteed based on a certain set of factors (see Appendix and Background Notes for further details).

Education

In Wave 1 of Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) Cohort ‘98 when the respondents were aged 9, parents of respondents were asked questions relating to the child’s use of a public library, whether the child had a television in their bedroom and how far did they expect their child to go in their education or training. Statistically significant associations were found between these factors and the respondents’ level of education at age 25.

Respondents who did not have a television in their bedroom at the age of 9 had an increased probability of having a degree at age 25 compared with those who did have a television in their room at age 9.

Table 1.1 The effect of the respondent not having a TV in their room at age 9 (Wave 1) on the relative probability of obtaining a level 7 degree or higher by age 25¹

Approximately seven in ten (69.5%) respondents who did not have a television in their room at age 9 had at least a degree level qualification, compared with 45.3% of those who had a TV in their room.

Respondents whose parents reported in Wave 1 (when the respondent was aged 9) that they used the public library for the respondent were more likely to have a degree at age 25 compared with those whose parents did not use a public library for their child.

Table 1.3 The effect of the respondent’s parent using a public library for the respondent at age 9 on the relative probability of obtaining a level 7 degree or higher by age 25¹

More than six in ten (63.2%) respondents whose parents reported that at age 9, they used the public library for the respondent had at least a degree level qualification or equivalent at age 25 compared with just over five in ten (52.6%) of those who did not use the public library.

At Wave 1, when the respondents were 9-years-old, their parents were asked how far they expected their child to go in their education or training. Respondents whose parents reported that they expected the respondent to get at least a degree level qualification in the future increased the probability of the respondent having a degree at age 25 compared with those whose parents did not expect them to get a degree.

Table 1.5 The effect of the respondent’s parent expecting the respondent to obtain a degree measured at Wave 1 on the relative probability of obtaining a level 7 degree or higher by age 25¹

Table 1.5 The effect of the respondent’s parent expecting the respondent to obtain a degree measured at Wave 1 on the relative probability of obtaining a level 7 degree or higher by age 25¹
Independent Variable at Wave 1	Reference Group	Average Marginal Effect ²	Standard Error	Pr(>\|t\|)³
Parental Expectation of Childs Education
Will obtain a degree or higher	Will not obtain a degree	0.19	0.02	< 0.001***
¹ The average marginal effects from the logistic regressions on the respondent obtaining at least an NFQ level 7 degree or equivalent by the age of 25 (dependent variable). The model presented was selected using Akaike Information Criterion which compares the relative quality of different statistical models for a given set of data to find the model that best explains the data without being overly complex, balancing goodness of fit with model simplicity. This model included a number of confounders which were measured at Wave 1 when the respondent was 9-years-old (see Appendix for full model).
²The average marginal effects on the probability of obtaining at least an NFQ level 7 degree in a logistic regression can be interpreted as the average increase in the probability of obtaining a degree (all else being equal) when the relevant independent variable is changed from the reference group e.g. the parent expecting that the respondent will obtain a degree qualification (measured at Wave 1) increases the probability of the respondent having a degree at age 25 by 19% (0.19), on average in the sample, relative to respondents with parents who did not expect their child to obtain a degree.
³ Probability value associated with the t-statistic. P-values of < 0.05 signify the presence of a statistically significant relationship. * p < 0.05; p < 0.01; * p < 0.001

Open in Excel: Table 1.5 The effect of the respondent’s parent expecting the respondent to obtain a degree measured at Wave 1 on the relative probability of obtaining a level 7 degree or higher by age 2 (XLS 19KB)

Almost seven in ten (68.6%) respondents whose parents reported that they expected the respondent to get a degree had a degree level qualification at age 25, compared with less than four in ten (37.0%) of those whose parents did not expect them to get a degree.

Ability to make ends meet

In Wave 5, when aged 25, respondents were asked the degree of difficulty they had in making ends meet. Statistically significant associations were found between the respondent’s ability to make ends meet at age 25 and the household's income when the respondent was age 9 (at Wave 1). Household income here is 'equivalised' or adjusted for family size and composition to allow for a fairer comparison.

Respondents whose household had an income in the 4^th or 5^th quintile (5^th being the highest) at the age of 9 had a decreased probability of having at least some difficulty making ends meet at the age of 25 compared with those in the first (lowest) income quintile.

Table 1.7 The effect of household income (quintile) at Wave 1 on the relative probability of respondent having at least some difficulty making ends meet at age 25¹

Table 1.7 The effect of household income (quintile) at Wave 1 on the relative probability of respondent having at least some difficulty making ends meet at age 25¹
Independent Variable at Wave 1	Reference Group	Average Marginal Effect ²	Standard Error	Pr(>\|t\|)³
Households Equivalised Income (Quintile)
Quintile 2	Quintile 1 (Lowest)	-0.06	0.04	0.209
Quintile 3	Quintile 1 (Lowest)	-0.04	0.05	0.412
Quintile 4	Quintile 1 (Lowest)	-0.10	0.04	0.021*
Quintile 5 (Highest)	Quintile 1 (Lowest)	-0.10	0.05	0.026*
¹ The average marginal effects from the logistic regressions on the respondent having at least some difficulty making ends meet at the age of 25 (dependent variable). The model presented was selected using Akaike Information Criterion which compares the relative quality of different statistical models for a given set of data to find the model that best explains the data without being overly complex, balancing goodness of fit with model simplicity. This model included a number of confounders (see Appendix for full model).
²The average marginal effects on the probability of having at least some difficulty making ends meet in a logistic regression can be interpreted as the average change in the probability of having at least some difficulty making ends meet (all else being equal) when the relevant independent variable is changed from the reference group e.g. the respondent who, at the age of 9, lived in a household in the 5th income quintile (highest) decreases the probability of the respondent having at least some difficulty making ends meet at age 25 by 10% (-0.10), on average in the sample, relative to respondents who lived in a household in the 1st income quintile (lowest).
³ Probability value associated with the t-statistic. P-values of < 0.05 signify the presence of a statistically significant relationship. * p < 0.05; p < 0.01; * p < 0.001

Open in Excel: Table 1.7 The effect of household income (quintile) at Wave 1 on the relative probability of respondent having at least some difficulty making ends meet at age 25 (XLS 19KB)

Approximately a quarter of respondents whose household had an income in the 4^th or 5^th quintile at the age of 9 had at least some difficulty making ends meet at age 25 (27.3% and 24.2% respectively) compared with 45.4% of those whose household income placed them in the first (lowest) quintile when they were 9-years-old.

Debt management

At the age of 25, respondents were asked the degree of difficulty they had making loan repayments. Responses were grouped into two categories; ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ difficulty, and ‘no difficulty’ or ‘no loans.’ Statistically significant associations were found between difficulty in making loan repayments at age 25 and the household’s income when the respondent was age 9.

Respondents whose household had an income in the 5^th quintile (highest) at age 9 were less likely to have ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ difficulty making loan repayments at the age of 25 compared with those in the 1st (lowest) income quintile.

Table 1.9 The effect of household income (quintile) at Wave 1 on the relative probability of the respondent having ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ difficulty making loan repayments at age 25¹

Table 1.9 The effect of household income (quintile) at Wave 1 on the relative probability of the respondent having ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ difficulty making loan repayments at age 25¹
Independent Variable at Wave 1	Reference Group	Average Marginal Effect ²	Standard Error	Pr(>\|t\|)³
Households Equivalised Income (Quintile)
Quintile 2	Quintile 1 (Lowest)	-0.04	0.03	0.188
Quintile 3	Quintile 1 (Lowest)	-0.02	0.04	0.612
Quintile 4	Quintile 1 (Lowest)	-0.06	0.03	0.080
Quintile 5 (Highest)	Quintile 1 (Lowest)	-0.08	0.03	0.024*
¹ The average marginal effects from the logistic regressions on the respondent having ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ difficulty making loan repayments at the age of 25 (dependent variable). The model presented was selected using Akaike Information Criterion which compares the relative quality of different statistical models for a given set of data to find the model that best explains the data without being overly complex, balancing goodness of fit with model simplicity. This model included a number of confounders (see Appendix for full model).
²The average marginal effects on the probability of having a lot or a little difficulty making loan repayments in a logistic regression can be interpreted as the average change in the probability of having ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ difficulty making loan repayments (all else being equal) when the relevant independent variable is changed from the reference group e.g. the respondent who, at the age of 9, lived in a household in the 5th income quintile (highest) decreases the probability of the having ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ difficulty making loan repayments at age 25 by 8% (-0.08), on average in the sample, relative to respondents who lived in a household in the 1st income quintile (lowest).
³ Probability value associated with the t-statistic. P-values of < 0.05 signify the presence of a statistically significant relationship. * p < 0.05; p < 0.01; * p < 0.001

Open in Excel: Table 1.9 The effect of household income (quintile) at Wave 1 on the relative probability of the respondent having ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ difficulty making loan repayments at age 25 (XLS 19KB)

Less than one in ten (7.5%) respondents whose household had an income in the 5^th (highest) quintile at the age of 9 had ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ difficulty making loan repayments at age 25 compared with 17.1% of those in the 1^st (lowest) quintile.

Next chapter: Appendix

Why you can Trust the CSO

Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.

go to trust & transparency

Table 1.1 The effect of the respondent not having a TV in their room at age 9 (Wave 1) on the relative probability of obtaining a level 7 degree or higher by age 25 ¹
Independent Variable at Wave 1	Reference Group	Average Marginal Effect²	Standard Error	Pr(>\|t\|)³
TV in Bedroom at Age 9
No TV in bedroom	TV in bedroom	0.10	0.02	< 0.001***
¹ The average marginal effects from the logistic regressions on the respondent obtaining at least an NFQ level 7 degree by the age of 25 (dependent variable). The model presented was selected using Akaike Information Criterion which compares the relative quality of different statistical models for a given set of data to find the model that best explains the data without being overly complex, balancing goodness of fit with model simplicity. This model included a number of confounders which were measured at Wave 1 when the respondent was 9-years-old (see Appendix for full model).
²The average marginal effects on the probability of obtaining at least an NFQ level 7 degree in a logistic regression can be interpreted as the average increase in the probability of obtaining a degree (all else being equal) when the relevant independent variable is changed from the reference group e.g. respondents who did not have a TV in their room at age 9 increases the probability of the respondent having a degree at age 25 by 10% (0.10), on average in the sample, relative to respondents who had a TV in their room at age 9.
³ Probability value associated with the t-statistic. P-values of < 0.05 signify the presence of a statistically significant relationship. * p < 0.05; p < 0.01; * p < 0.001

Table 1.3 The effect of the respondent’s parent using a public library for the respondent at age 9 on the relative probability of obtaining a level 7 degree or higher by age 25 ¹
Independent Variable at Wave 1	Reference Group	Average Marginal Effect ²	Standard Error	Pr(>\|t\|)³
Parent Uses Public Library for Child
Yes	No	0.07	0.02	0.003**
¹ The average marginal effects from the logistic regressions on the respondent obtaining at least an NFQ level 7 degree by the age of 25 (dependent variable). The model presented was selected using Akaike Information Criterion which compares the relative quality of different statistical models for a given set of data to find the model that best explains the data without being overly complex, balancing goodness of fit with model simplicity. This model included a number of confounders which were measured at Wave 1 when the respondent was 9-years-old (see Appendix for full model).
²The average marginal effects on the probability of obtaining at least an NFQ level 7 degree in a logistic regression can be interpreted as the average increase in the probability of obtaining a degree (all else being equal) when the relevant independent variable is changed from the reference group e.g. the parent using the public library for the child at age 9 increases the probability of the respondent having a degree at age 25 by 7% (0.07), on average in the sample, relative to respondents with parents who did not use the public library for their child.
³ Probability value associated with the t-statistic. P-values of < 0.05 signify the presence of a statistically significant relationship. * p < 0.05; p < 0.01; * p < 0.001

Growing Up in Ireland Cohort ‘98 at Age 25: Childhood Influences on Education and Finances

Results

Results

A CSO Frontier Series Output

Education

Ability to make ends meet

Debt management

Contents

Related

Why you can Trust the CSO

Contact:

Links:

Careers

Follow: