A majority of young people in Ireland are considering emigrating over fears about their future.
The result of a new survey, commissioned by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), reveals more than seven in 10 adults aged between 18 and 24 years old are looking at the possibility of moving away from Ireland because they believe working overseas offers them better prospects in life.
The survey, which was carried out by Red C, also found eight in 10 were fearful for their future with one in two claiming their mental health had worsened as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.
Almost half of all respondents also said they were struggling to make ends meet, while more than a quarter said their
experience with housing had become worse in the past six months.
The NYCI, the representative body of voluntary youth organisations in Ireland, has expressed concern at the findings which it claims highlights the severe impact of the current cost-of-living crisis on young people.
It has called on the Government to take urgent action to dissuade young people from emigrating and to act to ensure they are not overlooked during the crisis.
The NYCI said many young Irish adults looked likely to choose to emigrate unless their voices were heard in the forthcoming Budget.
One respondent, Clare Jane Hickey (21), from Waterford, who left Ireland to study at the University of Gronigen in the Netherlands last month, said her decision to move abroad was based on the cost of living.
“In the Netherlands, I pay lower third-level tuition fees per year compared with Ireland where I, or my parents, would need to be able to afford a mandatory contribution of €3,000 per year,” she said.
Another student, Aisling Maloney (19), from Roscrea, Co Tipperary, said as someone from a low socio-economic background she was struggling with rising costs.
Aisling, who is returning to UCD this autumn, said she was lucky to have secured accommodation on campus for the coming year but remained worried about the cost of food, textbooks and “missing out on life opportunities that other young people have and might take for granted”.
Commenting on the findings of the survey, NYCI’s director of policy and advocacy Paul Gordon said young people were in real fear about their future.
“Many say they’re struggling to make ends meet and quality of life considerations are driving them to consider a future outside of Ireland,” he said.
While the high cost of living was affecting all aspects of society, Mr Gordon said it was affecting young people in a different way.
“They are more likely to report mental health difficulties and challenges with accommodation and to spend a greater portion of their income on education and public transport expenses,” he said.
“Unfortunately, an overwhelming majority feel a better quality of life can be achieved elsewhere.”
Among the measures proposed by the NYCI to address the concerns of young people are reduced registration fees for third level education and apprenticeships and raising the national minimum wage for under 20s to the over 20s rate.
Other proposals include extending the Young Adult travel card to more young people and increasing the
rate of Jobseekers’ Allowance for under-25s to the over-25s rate.
The NYCI said the results of the survey showed the wider population was supportive of policies to help young people.
“It’s clear from this research that the general public recognises the large burden young people are facing and want to see them protected from the harshest impacts of the cost of living,” said Mr Gordon.
He said the NYCI wanted the Government to heed the
message and address the struggles that young people are facing.
“Our leaders need to show young people in Ireland that they are a valued part of society and that they are not left out of the conversation on the cost of living,” he added.
News source: Independent.ie