Minister O’Gorman publishes Spotlight report on Young People’s Participation in Youth Organisations

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, has today (28th February) published a report, which collates available data on young people’s participation in youth organisations.

Speaking about this report, Minister O’Gorman said:

“We know that participation in youth services is one of the key ways to enable young people to overcome adverse circumstances, and achieve their full potential, by strengthening their personal and social competencies. Today’s report provides us with key data on young people’s participation in youth organisations based on factors such as financial situation, housing tenure and disability, that will inform the ongoing implementation of youth-related policies and strategies. It also helps us track how we compare with our European Union neighbours and I am happy to note that young people’s participation in youth organisations in Ireland over the last decade has remained relatively high compared to European averages.”

This report on Young People’s Participation in Youth Organisations is the ninth report in a series of Statistical Spotlights. These Spotlight publications are topical in nature and of interest to both specialist and general readers. The data is sourced from European surveys and from Growing Up in Ireland, the national longitudinal study on children and young people.

Some of the key findings from the report are:

young people’s participation in youth organisations in Ireland over the last decade has remained relatively high compared to European averages
in 2021, 23% of 16-30-year-olds in Ireland reported having ever joined a youth organisation, compared to 14% in the EU27 as a whole
in Ireland and the EU27, males and females had similar rates of participation in youth organisations, with participation slightly higher for males than females in 2021, the most recent survey year
in both Ireland and the EU27, younger people (15-19-year-olds) had higher percentages of participation in youth organisations than those who were older (20-30-year-olds)
in both Ireland and the EU27, young people who were still studying had higher percentages of participation in youth organisations than those whose education had ceased
in the EU27, a higher percentage of self-employed respondents reported that they had ever joined a youth organisation compared to other groups of respondents – employee, manual worker, or not working
the percentage of 15-30-year-olds in Ireland who participated in a youth organisation was highest for respondents living in small/mid-size towns when compared to those living in rural villages or large towns
in Ireland, where the household financial situation was categorised as “not enough money for basic bills”, a higher percentage of respondents reported that they had ever joined a youth organisation compared to those in other household financial situations
in the EU27, the percentage of 16-30-year-olds who had ever joined a youth organisation was significantly higher among respondents who speak more than one European language than among those who speak only one or none

From young people in the “Growing Up in Ireland” study:

more 13-year-old females (36%) participated in youth clubs compared to males (32%). 17/18-year-old and 20-year-old males and females reported similar levels of participation in youth clubs
children from households with lower annual incomes reported more participation in youth clubs than children from households with higher annual incomes
young people’s participation in youth clubs was greater for those living in rented housing than those living in owned housing
more 17-year-olds and 20-year-olds with no disability participated in youth clubs compared to those with a disability

Statistical Spotlight on Young People's Participation in Youth Organisations

Download

View

Minister O’Gorman publishes Spotlight report on Young People’s Participation in Youth Organisations

Part of

Policies