Table of Contents
Introduction
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- Quoted research
- Regional definitions
- Population 2005
- Sample sizes for Millward Brown data
- Abbreviations
Summary of Key Findings
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- A third of NI adults and half of RoI working adults ‘Struggling’…
- …yet many working adults find a suitable balance
- The changing working environment
- The changing home life
- One in four adults find a comfortable balance
- More time makes life better
- One in five working adults overworked
- The personal life of only one in five is not affected by work
- Men more likely to feel overworked
- Television losing its hold on leisure time
- Flexible working hours the most popular job improvement in NI
- Improved current job better than new job for RoI adults
- Saving money would make life better for a third of adults
- Better job vs new job
- Consumers increase home value rather than reduce mortgage
- Women continue to attribute low importance to pensions
- 2006 – a good year for consumer spending in RoI?
- The gender savings gap
Factors Influencing Lifestyles
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- Employment trends
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- Figure 1: Number of adults in employment in 000s, by gender and overall unemployment rate, NI, 2002-05
- Figure 2: Number of adults in employment in 000s, by gender and overall unemployment rate, RoI, 2002-05
- Work roles relate to self-image
- Maternity breaks still affect women’s careers
- More employment but fewer jobs-for-life
- Family and marriage
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- Figure 3: Average age at marriage, by gender, NI and RoI, 2000-05
- Figure 4: Average age of women at birth of first child, NI and RoI, 1991-2005
- More leisure time for pre-/no family adults
- More secure ‘nest’ for family adults…
- …but parental life lasts longer
- Home responsibility still lies with women
- The working week
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- Figure 5: Average number of hours worked a week, by gender and working status, NI and RoI, 1998-2005
- Changing household composition
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- Figure 6: Number of households, by size, NI and RoI, 2000-05
- Leisure time
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- Figure 7: Leisure expenditure, NI and RoI, 2000-05
- Quality rather than quantity
- The experience economy
Work/life Balance
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- Work/life balance statements
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- Figure 8: Work/life balance statements, NI and RoI, 2005
- Similar patterns both sides of the border
- Personal life of only one in five adults is not affected by work
- Struggling lifestyle more widespread than it appears
- Northern Ireland
- Analysis by gender
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- Figure 9: Work/life balance statements, by gender, NI, 2005
- Men more likely to feel overworked
- Work affects working women less
- Analysis by age group
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- Figure 10: Work/life balance statements, by age, NI, 2005
- 35-54s most likely to feel overworked
- Over-55s are the happiest
- Analysis by socio-economic group
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- Figure 11: Work/life balance statements, by socio-economic status, NI, 2005
- ABC1s – Overworked in comfort
- Analysis by working status
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- Figure 12: Work/life balance statements, by working status, NI, 2005
- Full-time workers feel the most time-pressed
- Analysis by region
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- Figure 13: Work/life balance statements, by region, NI, 2005
- Antrim and Derry most comfortable places to live
- Republic of Ireland
- Analysis by gender
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- Figure 14: Work/life balance statements, by gender, RoI, 2005
- Men more likely to feel overworked
- Analysis by age group
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- Figure 15: Work/life balance statements, by age, RoI, 2005
- 25-44s most likely to feel overworked
- Over-55s happiest and most comfortable
- Analysis by socio-economic group
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- Figure 16: Work/life balance statements, by socio-economic status, RoI, 2005
- ABC1s most comfortable…but DEF consumers happy with their lot
- Analysis by working status
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- Figure 17: Work/life balance statements, by working status, RoI, 2005
- Analysis by region
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- Figure 18: Work/life balance statements, by region, RoI, 2005
- Munster still the happiest region
Impact on Lifestyles
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- Two kinds of people
- Groups in NI
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- Figure 19: Work/life balance cluster groups, by size and sub-group, NI 2005
- Two in three adults find the ‘balance’
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- Figure 20: Work/life balance statements, % point difference from average, by cluster group, NI, 2005
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- Figure 21: Demographic profiles of cluster groups, NI, 2005
- Groups in RoI
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- Figure 22: Work/life balance cluster groups, by size and sub-group, RoI, 2005
- Over half of RoI working adults ‘Struggling’
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- Figure 23: Work/life balance statements, % point difference from average, by cluster group, RoI, 2005
- Figure 24: Demographic profiles of cluster groups, RoI, 2005
Leisure Priorities
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- Figure 25: Leisure priorities, NI and RoI, 2005
- Television more popular than friends and family in NI
- Pub culture stronger in RoI than NI
- Live sporting events still lagging in NI
- More leisure shoppers in NI
- Number of leisure priorities
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- Figure 26: Leisure priorities, NI and RoI, 2003 and 2005
- Northern Ireland
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- Figure 27: Leisure priorities, NI, 2003-05
- Sport and exercise show highest growth
- Television losing its hold on leisure time in NI
- Gender differences
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- Figure 28: Leisure priorities, by gender, NI, 2005
- Women prioritise socialising…men prioritise TV
- Men choose sport while women shop
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- Figure 29: Top ten leisure priorities, by age, NI, 2005
- Under-25s choose the Internet for leisure
- Under-45s most likely to shop for pleasure
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- Figure 30: Top ten leisure priorities, by socio-economic status, NI, 2005
- Restaurants are a top leisure activity for ABC1 adults
- Shopping for pleasure more popular among less affluent
- Republic of Ireland
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- Figure 31: Leisure priorities, RoI, 2003-05
- Friends before family
- TV loses it hold on leisure time in RoI
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- Figure 32: Leisure priorities, by gender, RoI, 2005
- M&S for women, RDS for men
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- Figure 33: Top ten leisure priorities, by age, RoI, 2005
- Replacing friends with family
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- Figure 34: Top ten leisure priorities, by socio-economic status, RoI, 2005
- Television more popular among low-income households
- Leisure priorities of cluster groups
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- Figure 35: Top ten leisure priorities, by cluster group, NI, 2005
- Balancing adults make time for friends and family in NI
- Exercise – a way to unwind for Overworked adults
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- Figure 36: Top ten leisure priorities, by cluster group, RoI, 2005
- Adults balancing In comfort make more time for friends and family
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Life Priorities – Making Life Better
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- Figure 37: Life priorities, NI and RoI, 2005
- Flexible working practices the most popular job improvement in NI
- Improved current job better than new job for RoI adults
- Saving money would make life better for a third of adults
- Number of choices
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- Figure 38: Life priorities, NI and RoI, 2005
- Northern Ireland
- Gender differences
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- Figure 39: Life priorities, by gender, NI, 2005
- Saving money and ‘time for myself’ make women’s lives better
- More family time makes life better for working men
- Women want more help with domestic chores
- Analysis by age group
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- Figure 40: Top ten life priorities, by age, NI, 2005
- New jobs for 15-24s
- Family time is the top life improvement for over-35s
- Expanding their social circle a major focus of workers aged 55+
- Analysis by socio-economic status
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- Figure 41: Top ten life priorities, by socio-economic status, NI, 2005
- New jobs important for D and E groups
- Republic of Ireland
- Analysis by gender
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- Figure 42: Life priorities, by gender, RoI, 2005
- Money management makes men’s lives better
- Better job vs new job
- Analysis by age
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- Figure 43: Top ten life priorities, by age, RoI, 2005
- Under-35s want tighter purse strings…
- …while over-55s want more family time
- Analysis by socio-economic group
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- Figure 44: Top ten life priorities, by socio-economic status, RoI, 2005
- One in four ABC1s want to cut debt
- Life priorities by cluster groupings
- Northern Ireland
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- Figure 45: Life priorities of balancing cluster groups, NI, 2005
- Adults ‘Balancing In Comfort’ want their money to work for them
- Strivers seek time for themselves
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- Figure 46: Life priorities of Struggling cluster groups, NI, 2005
- Strugglers need TIME to bridge the social gap
- Strugglers want MORE
- Republic of Ireland
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- Figure 47: Life priorities, by cluster group, RoI, 2005
- Adults ‘Balancing in Comfort’ want money to work for them
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- Figure 48: Life priorities, by cluster group, RoI, 2005
- Struggling adults want more time to themselves
- Overworked employees want more from their job
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Spending Priorities – Focusing on the Year Ahead
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- Figure 49: Spending choice groups, by age, NI and RoI, 2005
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- Figure 50: Spending priorities, NI and RoI, 2005
- Four in ten adults focus on holidays
- Consumers increase home value rather than reduce mortgage
- One in four RoI adults interested in fitness
- Number of spending priorities
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- Figure 51: Number of spending priorities, NI and RoI, 2005
- Northern Ireland
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- Figure 52: Spending priorities, NI, 2003-05
- Holiday market increases
- Consumers losing interest in home decoration
- Analysis by gender
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- Figure 53: Spending priorities, by gender, NI, 2005
- Home decoration led by women
- Holidays for men
- Women attribute low importance to pensions
- Analysis by age group
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- Figure 54: Top ten spending priorities, by age, NI, 2005
- High desire to save among young adults
- Over-45s focus on home spending the most
- Analysis by socio-economic group
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- Figure 55: Top ten spending priorities, by socio-economic status, NI, 2005
- Home decoration the top focus of less affluent adults
- Republic of Ireland
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- Figure 56: Spending priorities, RoI, 2003-05
- 2006 – a good year for consumer spending?
- Analysis by gender
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- Figure 57: Spending priorities, by gender, RoI, 2005
- The gender savings gap
- Analysis by age group
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- Figure 58: Top ten spending priorities, by age, NI, 2005
- Quality of life for over-65s
- Analysis by socio-economic group
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- Figure 59: Top ten spending priorities, by socio-economic status, RoI, 2005
- Equal interest in savings
- New car for 20% of ABC1s
- Spending priorities of cluster groups
- Northern Ireland
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- Figure 60: Spending categories, by cluster group, NI, 2005
- Figure 61: Top ten spending priorities, by cluster group, NI, 2005
- Strivers plan finances the least
- Overworked adults focus on status symbols
- Socially Constrained focus on the home
- Republic of Ireland
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- Figure 62: Spending categories, by cluster group, RoI, 2005
- Figure 63: Top ten spending priorities, by cluster group, RoI, 2005
- In comfort adults most interested in home decoration
- Strivers plan finances the least
- Overworked want the most
- Unfulfilled focus predominantly on status symbols
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Appendix
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- Population
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- Figure 64: Forecast population change, in thousands, by age, NI, 2000-20
- Figure 65: Forecast population change, in thousands, by age, RoI, 2000-20
- Economy
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- Figure 66: Health of the economy, percentage growth, RoI and NI, 2002-06
- Additional leisure priorities data
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- Figure 67: Top ten leisure priorities, by working status, NI, 2005
- Figure 68: Top ten leisure priorities, by region, NI, 2005
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- Figure 69: Top ten leisure priorities, by working status, RoI, 2005
- Figure 70: Top ten leisure priorities, by region, RoI, 2005
- Additional spending priorities data
- NI – analysis by working status
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- Figure 71: Top ten spending priorities, by working status, NI, 2005
- NI – analysis by region
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- Figure 72: Top ten spending priorities, by region, NI, 2005
- RoI – analysis by working status
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- Figure 73: Top ten spending priorities, by working status, RoI, 2005
- RoI – analysis by region
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- Figure 74: Top ten spending priorities, by region, RoI, 2005
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