Young adults have been most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of well-being when compared with older people, according to new CSO statistics.

The April 2020 Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey covers topics such as well-being, personal concerns, changes in consumption behaviour, working life, and compliance with official COVID-19 advice.

The data shows an 80% decrease in the number of young adults aged 18-34, who rated their overall life satisfaction as ‘high’ in April 2020 when compared with the 2018 rate.

Looking for work

An EU-wide survey by Eurofound, also in April 2020, reported that almost a quarter of this age group in Ireland felt lonely ‘all or most of the time’ over the two-week period prior to being interviewed – the second-highest rate in the 17 EU countries for which data was available.

Commenting on the survey results, Eurofound said that the “lowest levels of mental well-being are reported among young people and those looking for work.

“Loneliness is emerging as a key aspect of mental health, with one-fifth of young Europeans feeling the strong impact of pandemic restrictions.”

Over four in ten younger adults in the CSO’s Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey reported that the pandemic had a ‘negative’ financial impact on them, compared with two in ten of respondents aged 70 and over.

Concerns

When asked about their personal concerns, respondents aged 18-34 years were more likely to be ‘very or extremely’ concerned about someone else's health (70.5%), compared with 56% of those aged 70 and over.

Consumption behaviours have also shown greater change in younger adults, highlighting the greater impact on their lifestyles compared with that of their elders.

For example, respondents aged 18-34 years were least likely to report ‘no change’ in their consumption of alcohol, tobacco, junk food and sweets.

Well-being

Respondents in the Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey were asked to rate their satisfaction levels with various aspects of their lives, (overall life satisfaction, satisfaction with the financial situation of their households, and satisfaction with personal relationships) on a scale from 0 (‘not at all satisfied’) to ten (‘completely satisfied’).