This is the first study that investigates the heterogeneous effects of blood pressure (BP) screening on subsequent changes in BP in a high-income country. We use data from clinical health assessments carried out in 2010 (baseline) and 2014 (follow-up) as part of a nationally-representative...

The effects of poverty in childhood can last a lifetime. Research shows that children living in poverty have lower levels of health and wellbeing, attain lower levels of education, have lower levels of occupational attainment and are more likely to be poor in adulthood. In this report, we focus...

A new ESRI study, commissioned by Pobal, examines socioeconomic conditions across communities in Ireland. Using Census data, the study examines how potential barriers to social inclusion have changed over time and if disadvantaged communities are particularly adversely affected. Findings from...

Improving the energy efficiency of the residential housing sector represents a key challenge in meeting Ireland's carbon reduction targets. While challenges exist across the sector in terms of incentivising upgrades, these difficulties are more pronounced in the rental sector, which suffers from...

New research, published by the ESRI and produced in partnership with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE), uses Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) data to look at the profile of fathers not living full-time with their children (termed non-resident fathers in the report). The GUI...

The School Completion Programme was established in 2002 to provide support for children and young people at risk of early school leaving and is part of a suite of supports offered through the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS)1 programme. The programme is run by Tusla Education...

The rise in inflation in recent years triggered a cost-of-living crisis, in which households' ability to afford basic necessities declined. The cost-of-living crisis disproportionately affected lower income households, with the proportion in material deprivation (i.e. unable to afford basic...

School-aged children and adolescents under 18 in Ireland spend more time online than ever before. 'Digital technology' is a broad term that refers to electronic devices like computers, smartphones, smart TVs and game consoles. These devices can connect to the internet and access various types of...

The COVID-19 health pandemic had a profound impact on economies and their labour markets worldwide. This included Ireland, with its labour market experiencing substantial increases in unemployment due to the implementation of a number of public health measures. The labour market disruptions...

In recent years, research opportunities in labour economics have expanded, due to the availability of large datasets capturing online job vacancies. While not a replacement for well-established labour market surveys, online job vacancy data have several advantages. They contain information that...

Historic underinvestment, coupled with a growing and ageing population, has led to capacity constraints in public acute hospitals in Ireland. This is evidenced by ageing infrastructure, large waiting lists and long waiting times for elective treatment, as well as pressure on unscheduled care...

This report examines child deprivation in Ireland. It focuses on children who experience deprivation but are not classified as at-risk-of-poverty (AROP). As a result, they fall outside the official consistent poverty measure, which is a combined measure of AROP and deprivation. The report uses...

Planning for future healthcare needs is essential for ensuring the safe and effective delivery of healthcare services in the coming years. A number of studies have shown that demand for health and social care services will increase in Ireland in the coming years due to a growing and ageing...

Globally, the popularity of homesharing platforms such as Airbnb has grown rapidly in the past decade. These platforms allow households to raise additional income and utilise space in their homes that may otherwise remain unused. However, concerns over the impacts of short-term lets (STL) on...

The experience of sexual intercourse for the first time is a significant life event, and influenced by a range of individual, cultural and societal factors. Age of first sexual initiation is a major area of policy and research focus, as the circumstances of first sex (e.g. whether contraception...

This report provides a high-level comparison of the economies of Ireland and Northern Ireland (NI) for recent years. A range of economic, socio-economic and demographic measures are used to explore similarities and differences in economic growth, living standards, general well-being and economic...

Adolescence and young adulthood are critical periods in the development of healthy sexual health and relationships, as patterns of behaviour that develop during these life stages shape outcomes throughout the life course. Recent rises in notifications of certain sexually transmitted infections...

Life expectancy rates have increased substantially in Ireland in recent years, driven mainly by reductions in mortality rates at older ages. Accordingly, Ireland has seen large increases in its older population, and along with this increasing demand for health and social care services,...

Child poverty is of growing concern in Ireland and internationally due to the growing body of evidence on the detrimental effects of childhood socio-economic disadvantage on children, both in the short term and in the long term through loss of education, earnings and health. In Ireland, child...

We examine the evolution of the gender income gap in UK and Ireland between 2008 and 2019 by income decile and decompose it to evaluate the relative importance of gender differences in working hours, self-employment, and hourly pay, as well as the redistributive effect of the tax-benefit system....

• Around 60% of Irish net exports to US are pharma products. • A 200% US tariff would devastate all EU exports, not just Ireland's. • Irish business leaders we interviewed are confident that pharma's competitiveness will ensure its survival

The COVID-19 health pandemic had a profound impact on labour markets worldwide, disproportionately affecting subgroups of the population, including individuals with disabilities. Despite extensive research on the broader impacts of the pandemic, there remains a notable gap in the literature...

This paper applies behavioural economics to Ireland's housing transaction system, identifying how systemic features may contribute to biased decision making and price volatility. It draws on international comparisons and highlights eight cognitive biases that affect buyers and sellers including...

Poor housing conditions, and the negative effects of Household Air Pollution (HAP) in particular, remain one of the most pressing global public health challenges. While the association between poor housing and health has a long history, evidence of a direct link is lacking. In this paper, we...

This VET policy brief produced by Cedefop presents a snapshot of vocational education and training policy developments in Ireland between 2020 and the end of 2024. It presents the context and the challenges the country faces, and a selection of the latest VET-related statistics. At the time of...

The National Fisheries Profile (NFP) for Ireland offers a comprehensive analysis of the fisheries sector, highlighting its economic, cultural, and environmental significance. This detailed report aligns with European Union standards and recommendations from STECF providing insights into the...

Poor housing conditions, and the negative effects of Household Air Pollution (HAP) in particular, remain one of the most pressing global public health challenges. While the association between poor housing and health has a long history, evidence of a direct link is lacking. In this paper, we...

Educational outcomes in Ireland are above the EU average, and Ireland is one of the top-performing countries in basic skills in the EU. Ireland is improving access to education for disadvantaged children, including by more affordable childcare. These sustained efforts have increased enrolment in...

The Education and Training Monitor's country reports present and assess the main recent and ongoing policy development at all education levels in the 27 EU Member States. They give the reader more in-depth insight into the performance of a country as regards the EU-level targets agreed within...

The Education and Training Monitor's country reports present and assess the main recent and ongoing policy development at all education levels in the 27 EU Member States. They give the reader more in-depth insight into the performance of a country as regards the EU-level targets agreed within...

This paper develops and applies I3E-Transport, a new passenger transport model for Ireland that integrates behavioural, technological, and macroeconomic drivers to assess the effectiveness of two decarbonisation policies-carbon taxation and internal combustion engine (ICE) phase-outs-on...

The National Training Fund (NTF), established in 2000, plays a central role in Ireland's workforce development and employment policy. Its purpose is to fund training that: i) supports individuals in employment; ii) assists jobseekers in entering or re-entering the labour market; and iii)...

• Around 60% of Irish net exports to US are pharma products. • A 200% US tariff would devastate all EU exports, not just Ireland's. • Irish business leaders we interviewed are confident that pharma's competitiveness will ensure its survival