Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Growing Up in Ireland study is uniquely placed in being able to capture contemporary information from participants on how they experienced the Covid-19 pandemic.

A special Covid-19 survey was issued to two Growing Up in Ireland cohorts in December 2020. The special Covid-19 survey collected information on the experiences of children and young people during the pandemic at key stages in both of the cohort’s lives. This included information on emotional well-being, remote learning, their interaction with others and more.

Cohort '08 were around 13 years old at the time the survey was taken and thus many were making the transition from primary to secondary education. Cohort '98 participants were around 22 and many were beginning to take early steps in their careers.

The special Covid-19 survey added to the growing body of Growing Up in Ireland data, which can be compared to data collected in past waves and data that will be collected during future waves. The Growing Up In Ireland data allows for within-cohort and cross-cohort comparisons across a wide range of variables, and will continue to provide insights on all areas of children and young peoples' lives into the future, including analysing the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A key findings report from the special Covid-19 survey can be found on the Growing Up in Ireland website along with publications from all of the other waves of data collection.