Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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150. To ask the Minister for Social Protection his views on the quality of life issues facing young persons that have come to light from the Central Statistics Office data 2013. [22495/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Since the crisis, there has been widespread agreement on the need for broader measures of social well-being that go beyond income and economic growth. My Department recently published exploratory research on measuring Quality of Life (QoL) to inform this debate. The analysis by the ESRI is based on data from the CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions in 2013.

The researchers defined someone as having a QoL problem if they experience problems on 3 or more of 11 indicators on income poverty, deprivation; financial strain; health problems; mental distress; housing crowding and quality problems; neighbourhood problems; lack of social support; institutional mistrust; and lack of safety. They found that in 2013 just over a quarter of adults experienced multiple QoL problems.

The research shows that, in line with national poverty and deprivation measures, older people experience lower levels of QoL deficits than adults under 30. Young adults are 1.8 times more likely to experience QoL problems than older people. For younger adults crowded accommodation, housing quality problems, deprivation and financial strain are most important. In contrast, lack of safety, health and neighbourhood problems are more important to older people.

The paper highlights the varied challenges facing adults at different stages of their life-course and the importance of multidimensional measures that look beyond peoples’ income to a more holistic QoL perspective – to their health, housing, social interactions, living environment and personal well-being. The updated national action plan for social inclusion identifies a wide range of targeted actions and interventions to achieve the overall objective of reducing poverty and social exclusion.

The ESRI is undertaking further research on poverty trends and QoL across the life-course, focusing on social risk groups. My Department will discuss the findings and policy implications arising from this research at a national conference in November.