We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
IRISH PEOPLE ARE the most optimistic citizens in Europe, an EU agency has found.
Just under half of Irish respondents to the latest quality of life survey by Eurofound said they feel optimistic about the future, which was 15 percentage points higher than the European average.
Eurofound, the Dublin-based EU work and society research centre, also found that Irish citizens record higher rates of life satisfaction compared to other European countries.
The survey, conducted in Spring 2024 and published today, shows that Irish respondents have the most optimistic view on life, with Denmark and Austria the next most optimistic countries.
The researchers said rates of optimism recorded in those aged between 16-29 were, on average, 18 percentage points higher than those aged 40-45.
Within age groups, recorded rates of optimism also fluctuate depending on factors such as disability, employment and relationship status, gender, education and income levels and whether or not the respondent lives with a significant other.
Those with higher levels of disposable income were more likely to record positive rates of optimism compared to those on lower income levels. Respondents who were unemployed or had a disability were also found to have significantly lower rates of optimism.
Meanwhile, Ireland placed joint third, with six other nations, in the life satisfaction rating, by country. Respondents recorded a satisfaction level of 6.2, slightly higher than the European average of 5.8.
Joining Ireland in the third-place spot are Germany, Spain, Czechia, Luxembourg and Finland.
Researches found there has been a declining level of life satisfaction among respondents aged between 35-64 in recent years. Researchers also found that employment status and levels of income impacts respondents’ satisfaction levels.
Ireland scored higher-than-average in areas like the rates of remote working, and also on views towards the status of democracy and trust in public institutions, as well as on being able to make ends meet.
However, the research centre states that a notable cohort of European citizens, three in ten, are struggling to make ends meet.
One in ten respondents said they had missed a rent or mortgage payment since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, while 15% reported that they were in arrears due to utility bills.
Citizens in Greece, Estonia and Croatia were most-likely to report financial difficulties to researches. The most common unaffordable expenses included new furniture, leisure activities and holidays.
Others reported having a only small amount of money to spend on themselves each week or for meeting with family or friends at least once a month.
Head of social policy at Eurofound, Massimiliano Mascherini, said the results of the survey reveal that sustained levels of inflation have “depleted” financial resilience.
He said it has led to certain cohorts of society struggling every day.
“This is having notable social and political consequences,” he added.
Eurofound recommended that EU nations implement stronger social security nets for citizens who are financially struggling and address unmet healthcare needs for those with disabilities, mental health needs and general long-term health issues.
Separately, the research institution also recommends that member states implement national strategies to address the mental health needs of European citizens.
On employment, Eurofound suggest the continued promotion of flexible and hybrid working structures – such as the right to disconnect already in place in Ireland – and encourage more employment for people with disabilities.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I think the old people that were gathered up from hospitals en masse and shoved into under resourced nursing homes to die alone, at the behest of NPHET, deserve an inquest, never mind an inquiry. This government seems to have forgotten about them. The actions of those who made this disastrous decision, potentially amount to criminal malfeasance IMO. Unfortunately, this all looks like a back patting exercise. More akin to a PR stunt than a proper analysis. I suppose this government aren’t going to start caring about our elderly citizens all of a sudden so no surprise to see the whitewash unfold
Correcting their own homework
Another Waste of Public Money. ” Lessons will be Learned ” will be the Tagline after all that.
No wonder everything takes forever in Ireland . What with inquiries , Scoping Enquiries , reports , task forces , focus groups , commissions , study groups , tribunals .
‘we could be facing future pandemics in the future’ … well, we won’t be facing them in the past, Simon.
Is it five years coming? Of course, no need to be in any hurry? It seems Government doesn’t care except when a General Election is in the offing.
Is this realy necessary. Or just a waste of taxpayers money
Maybe they just want a pat on the back for being so great
Let’s hope whoever is appointed is safe and effective.
have the warehoused taxes been repaid yet?
@Niall English: they bloody well should be
I can’t wait
‘Building health system resilience through policy development in response to COVID-19 in Ireland: From shock to reform’. Burke, Sara et al. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, Volume 9, 100223
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say