More than a third of those aged over 65 report high levels of life satisfaction
The Central Statistics Office has released findings from its 2025 Well-being Survey, to which more than a quarter of people reported having high levels of life satisfaction.
For those aged over 65, these figures were even higher, with more than a third of respondents (36.5%) reporting a high overall life satisfaction.
In comparison, 22.1% of respondents aged 25 to 49 reported high life satisfaction.
Those aged 25 to 49 had the highest rate of feeling downhearted or depressed in the four weeks leading up to the survey, this was at 18.4%.
These figures sway dramatically when analysing respondents' life situation and housing status.
The data shows that 41.8% of respondents who live in consistent poverty reported feeling downhearted or depressed, this is compared with just 14.6% of those who were not living in consistent poverty.
When it came to respondents' housing status, those living in owner-occupied accommodation were more likely to have a satisfaction level with their overall lives.
When compared with those living in rented accommodation, who reported a mean satisfaction score of just 5.9.
Central Statistics Office Statistician Sarah Crilly said: “SILC is a household survey covering a broad range of topics relating to income and living conditions.
“For SILC, respondents who were 16 years or older were asked to rate their satisfaction levels with various aspects of their lives, and how often they felt lonely, downhearted, or depressed in the four weeks prior to interview.
“Overall life satisfaction and satisfaction with the financial situation of their household questions were asked using a scale from 0 (Not at all satisfied) to 10 (Completely satisfied).
“The mean score for each satisfaction level indicator is calculated by adding individual scores and dividing the total by the number of individuals. In this release, the responses for the satisfaction level indicators are also grouped as low (0-5), medium (6-8), and high (9-10).”