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20th Dec 2024

‘Single working adults, renters and households with kids are most likely to struggle to make ends meet’

Sophie Collins

“Although most people live in households that meet their expenditure needs, a higher proportion of children, tenants, lone parents, and single working-age adults do not”

A new study has honed in on the groups in Ireland who are most affected by the cost of living crisis, barely making ends meet sometimes with their income

Lone parents, single working-age adults, renters and households with kids have been identified as the groups likely under the most pressure financially.

The report was published today by the ESRI with the Department of Social Protection and looked at a huge amount of data from 2022.

Sadly, it found that 11% of the population don’t live in a household that is able to meet their basic needs.

Of this group of people, 72% are at risk of falling into poverty, 35% are experiencing material deprivation and 23% live in consistent poverty.

The ESRI says poverty in this study is defined as a household income that is less than 60% of the median income.

They highlighted however, that the majority of people are living in households where basic expenditure is met.

“The report shows that while consistent poverty levels are at a historic low and fell for all groups measured by the CSO’s latest Survey of Income and Living Conditions, a minority of people are living in households where their expenditure needs are not met,” a spokesperson for the ESRI said.

Co-author of the study and the ESRI’s Senior Researcher Bertrand Maître said the study has shone a light on certain households that are struggling more than others.

“Although most people live in households that meet their expenditure needs, a higher proportion of children, tenants, lone parents, and single working-age adults do not,” he said.

He went on to say that this study only further highlights the issues we know are rife in Ireland at the moment and that there is such a need to appropriate housing solutions for the people of Ireland.

You can access the full report and findings here.

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