Library-going correlates to educational attainment
Children whose parents used the public library for them at age nine were more likely to have a degree at age 25 (63%) than those whose parents did not use the library for them (53%), a longitudinal study shows.
The data arises from the CSO Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) series, for Cohort ’98.
TV in bedroom
Respondents who did not have a TV in their bedroom at nine were more likely to have a degree level qualification or equivalent when they were 25, at almost 70%, compared with a 45% attainment level for those who had a TV in their bedroom.
A parent’s expectation of their nine-year-old’s future educational attainment had an impact on their likelihood of having a degree, the data shows.
Almost 70% of those whose parents expected them to get a degree had done so by age 25.
By comparison, 37% of respondents, whose parents did not have this expectation, had a degree level qualification by age 25.
Over 45% of those whose household income was in the lowest income category at age nine had at least some difficulty making ends meet at age 25, compared with 24% of those in the highest income group.
Respondents whose household income was in the highest income threshold at age nine were less likely to have difficulty making loan repayments at age 25 than those in the lowest household income quintile.
Longitudinal study
GUI is the national, longitudinal study of children and young people in Ireland and is a collaborative programme of work between the CSO and the Department for Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE).
CSO statistician Dr Caragh Stapleton said: “In addition to the 1998 cohort, GUI has two additional cohorts for those born in 2008 and those born in 2024.
“The multi-cohort design will allow for future comparisons to be made across all three cohorts to help better understand what impacts education and financial well-being outcomes across different generations.”