Business

Just over half of people negative about living in Ireland in year ahead, survey finds

People in the 45-54 year old age group were the least likely to expect to have money left over at the end of each month

Christmas shoppers on Grafton Street. Just over half of respondents to a survey are feeling negative about living in Ireland in the year ahead, a drop from 56 per cent this time last year and 61 per cent two years ago. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times
Christmas shoppers on Grafton Street. Just over half of respondents to a survey are feeling negative about living in Ireland in the year ahead, a drop from 56 per cent this time last year and 61 per cent two years ago. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times
Fiona Keeley
Fri Dec 20 2024 - 17:11

Just over half of respondents to a survey are feeling negative about living in Ireland in the year ahead, a drop from 56 per cent this time last year and 61 per cent two years ago.

Reflecting Ireland, conducted by Core Research on behalf of PTSB, also shows that people in the 45-54 year old age group were the least likely to expect to have money left over at the end of each month, standing at 37 per cent.

Other age groups in the survey were more positive on that question with 55 per cent of 18-24 year olds; 52 per cent of 25-34 year olds; 44 per cent of 35-44 year olds and 42 per cent of over 55s said they would have money to spare at the end of the month.

“We’re seeing renewed evidence that the ‘squeezed middle’ continues to feel financial pressure” said Claire Cogan a behavioural scientist at BehaviourWise. She said this could be due to cost factors at that stage of life such as education, housing and caring for family members alongside daily living costs.

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At the end of 2023, 60 per cent of respondents said they would cut back on the amount of money they spend on energy. The latest results recorded a 13 per cent drop with 47 per cent of people saying they would cut back on energy costs.

There was a 15 per cent annual drop in the number of people who said they would cut back on the cost of their weekly grocery shop, according to the survey. The figure fell from 53 per cent in 2023 to 38 per cent in 2024.

When it comes to climate change, two thirds of respondents said they would recycle more next year and just over half of people (53 per cent) want to do more to reduce their carbon footprint. However, a minority of respondents – 18 per cent – say they will invest in an electric car while just over a fifth of people said they will retrofit their homes or install solar panels.

The survey is based on an online survey of 1,000 people across the country and was conducted between October 23rd and November 3rd this year.

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