This report uses data from the 2023/24 Continuous Household Survey and
presents findings on Loneliness, Self-efficacy, Personal Wellbeing (Life
Satisfaction, Worthwhile, Happiness and Anxiety) and Locus of Control.
A full list of subpopulation breakdowns and comparisons can be
found in the accompanying Individual
Wellbeing in NI 2023/24 Tables.
Key Findings
*Please note all differences listed are statistically significant.
Key findings include:
Overall, higher life satisfaction and worthwhile scores indicate an improvement in individual wellbeing compared with 2022/23.
34% of people reported very high levels of life satisfaction, 37% reported very high levels of happiness and 42% reported very high levels of feeling that the things they do are worthwhile.
44% of people reported very low levels of anxiety.
17.8% of people reported feeling lonely “at least some of the time”.
People who reported their health as “very good” reported better levels of wellbeing than those who reported their health as “bad/very bad”, and people with a disability reported lower levels of wellbeing than those without a disability.
Those who are married/in a civil partnership reported better levels of wellbeing than those who are divorced.
People living in the most deprived areas (quintile 1) reported the lowest levels of individual wellbeing compared with all other areas (quintiles 2, 3, 4 and 5).
People in employment reported better levels of wellbeing than those not in employment.
Introduction
Individual Wellbeing is personal and subjective – it encompasses the environmental factors that affect us, and the experiences we have throughout our lives. Improving wellbeing can be the responsibility of traditional policy areas such as economy, health and education. However, individual wellbeing also crucially recognises the aspects of our lives that we determine ourselves: through our own capabilities as individuals; how we feel about ourselves; the quality of the relationships that we have with other people; and our sense of purpose. [Note 1]
This report provides 2023/24 estimates for people aged 16 and over in Northern Ireland (NI) across four areas which reflect individual wellbeing:
Loneliness – the frequency with which people report feeling lonely.
Self-efficacy – a person’s belief about their capabilities to exercise influence over events that affect their lives.
Personal Wellbeing – how satisfied people are with their lives, their levels of happiness and anxiety, and whether or not they think the things they do are worthwhile.
Locus of Control – the degree to which a person feels in control of their life. Individuals with an internal locus of control believe in their own influence and control while those with an external locus of control believe control over their lives is determined by outside factors.
The publication reports on seven metrics in total and further details on each can be found in the Technical Notes.
In this publication differences between years are only reported on where they are found to be statistically significant [Note 2], unless stated otherwise. A full list of subpopulation breakdowns and comparisons can be found in the accompanying Individual Wellbeing in NI 2023/24 Tables.
To enable users to easily access data by subpopulation breakdowns, the statistical team have worked with the NISRA Tech Lab to create the Individual Wellbeing in NI Dashboard. The dashboard contains time series data for all subpopulation breakdowns and can be exported for use in your own reports and research publications.
Note 1: What is wellbeing?
Note 2: ‘Significance refers to statistical significance with a 95% confidence that the difference is not by chance.’
Loneliness
What is loneliness?
Everyone is likely to experience feelings of loneliness at some point in their lifetime and the effects of feeling lonely will differ from person to person. However, feelings of loneliness can negatively impact a person’s health, wellbeing and overall quality of life and so it is important to understand what factors are associated with feeling lonely.
This measure asks people the question, ‘How often do you feel lonely?’ with the following 5 response options: ‘often/always’, ‘some of the time’, ‘occasionally’, ‘hardly ever’ and ‘never’. This question therefore measures the frequency with which people report feeling lonely, but not the level of loneliness they experience.
Following user consultation and for the ease of understanding and interpreting results, the responses ‘often/always’ and ‘some of the time’ have been grouped into a single category ‘Lonely at least some of the time’.
Frequency of loneliness – 5 category split
Loneliness in 2023/24
In 2023/24, 5.3% of respondents (individuals aged 16 and over) reported feeling lonely ‘often/always’. There is no statistically significant change from the previous year (6.1%) for this category. However, there was a statistically significant change in the proportion of people reporting ‘never’ feeling lonely, increasing from 27.6% in 2022/23 to 34.6% in 2023/24.
Figure 1.1: Frequency of loneliness, 2023/24
Note: All values have been rounded to one decimal place.
Lonely at least some of the time
Time series
In 2023/24, 17.8% of respondents reported feeling lonely “often/always” or “some of the time”, categorised as “lonely at least some of the time”. There is no statistically significant change from the previous year (19.4%).
Figure 1.2: Proportion who reported feeling lonely ‘often/always’ or ‘some of the time’, 2017/18 to 2023/24
Note: Due to changes in the survey methodology, please exercise caution when comparing current data to that collected prior to 2020/21. All values have been rounded to one decimal place.
Group differences
Proportions of those who felt lonely at least some of the time (i.e. reported feeling lonely ‘often/always’ or ‘some of the time’) were estimated for eighteen group breakdowns. Significant differences [Note 3] were found in all eighteen groups.
The largest proportions of loneliness were found among those who reported their general health as “bad/very bad” (46.3%), and the lowest proportions were those who considered their health as “very good” (7.8%).
The data discussed in this report are available in the accompanying tables.
Note 3: Please refer to [Note 2]
Self-efficacy
What is self-efficacy?
Self-efficacy is a concept describing a person’s beliefs about their capability to produce results or effects, and their ability to exercise influence over events that affect their lives.
Those with high self-efficacy have confidence in their abilities and make sustained efforts to achieve goals.
Those with low self-efficacy often doubt their capabilities, are less ambitious and give up on aims when challenged. This can limit the choices a person makes and how much effort they are willing to invest.
Self-efficacy affects the decisions a person makes and what they see as achievable. It has been shown to influence physical and mental health, learning and achievement, career and job satisfaction and family relations. Interventions to increase self-efficacy in specific groups can improve collective resilience and capacity. This can lead to positive social change in communities and can improve social cohesion and inter-group relations [Note 4].
Average self-efficacy score
Overall score
In 2023/24, the average (mean) score for self-efficacy in Northern Ireland was 19.5, not significantly different from the average in 2022/23 (19.4). This means Northern Ireland on average has high self-efficacy (scores of 5-17 are classed as low self-efficacy, while scores of 18-25 are considered high).
Figure 2.1: Average self-efficacy scores, 2014/15 to 2023/24
Note: Due to changes in the survey methodology, please exercise caution when comparing current data to that collected prior to 2020/21. All values have been rounded to one decimal place.
Group differences
Average (mean) scores were estimated (on a scale from 5 to 25) for eighteen group breakdowns. Significant differences were found in sixteen groups. There were no significant differences found in religion or ethnicity.
The lowest self-efficacy estimate was found among those who reported “bad/very bad” health (16.1) and the highest score was found among those who reported “very good” health (20.5).
The data discussed in this report are available in the accompanying tables.
Note 4: Further information can be found in the Technical Notes at the end of this report.
Proportion with low self-efficacy
Overall
In 2023/24, the proportion of the population in Northern Ireland with low self-efficacy was 19%, no significant change from the previous year (18.9%).
Figure 2.2: Proportion with low self-efficacy, 2014/15 to 2023/24
Note: Due to changes in the survey methodology, please exercise caution when comparing current data to that collected prior to 2020/21. All values have been rounded to one decimal place.
Group differences
Proportions of people with low self-efficacy (with a score of 5-17 on a scale from 5 to 25) were estimated for eighteen group breakdowns. Significant differences were found in sixteen groups [Note 5]. There were no significant differences found in sexual orientation or ethnicity.
The largest proportions of low self-efficacy were found among those who reported “bad/very bad” health (54.3%) and the lowest proportions were found among those living in Ards and North Down (10%).
The data discussed in this report are available in the accompanying tables.
Note 5: Please refer to [Note 2]
Personal Wellbeing
What is Personal Wellbeing?
An individual’s thoughts and feelings about their quality of life is an important aspect of their personal wellbeing. How satisfied people are with their lives, their levels of happiness and anxiety, and whether or not they think the things they do are worthwhile, all have strong links with many elements of wellbeing.
This section contains estimates of reported ‘life satisfaction’, feeling that things done in life are ‘worthwhile’, ‘happiness’ and ‘anxiety’ for those people interviewed in the reporting period.
Personal wellbeing statistics are reported in two different ways; (i) the average (mean) rating and (ii) the proportion of respondents scoring within each of the thresholds.
People are asked to respond to each question on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is “not at all” and 10 is “completely”. This means that a higher score indicates better wellbeing in relation to ‘life satisfaction’, ‘worthwhile’ and ‘happiness’, and a lower score indicates better wellbeing for ‘anxiety’.
Overall Personal Wellbeing ratings
Average (mean) Wellbeing ratings
The average (mean) wellbeing ratings across the four measures of personal wellbeing were:
7.8 out of 10 for ‘life satisfaction’
8.0 out of 10 for feeling that what you do in life is ‘worthwhile’
7.6 out of 10 for ‘happiness’ yesterday
2.8 out of 10 for ‘anxiety’ yesterday
The proportion of respondents scoring within each of the Personal Wellbeing thresholds
Table 1: Labelling of Thresholds
| Life satisfaction, Worthwhile and Happiness scores - Response on 11 point Scale | Label |
|---|---|
| 0 to 4 | Low |
| 5 to 6 | Medium |
| 7 to 8 | High |
| 9 to 10 | Very high |
| Anxiety scores* - Response on 11 point Scale | Label |
|---|---|
| 0 to 1 | Very low |
| 2 to 3 | Low |
| 4 to 5 | Medium |
| 6 to 10 | High |
*A lower score indicates better wellbeing for anxiety.
The proportions of people reporting ‘Very high’ (score of 9 or 10) levels of personal wellbeing (indicating better personal wellbeing) were:
– 34% for ‘life satisfaction’
– 42% for feeling that what you do in life is ‘worthwhile’
– 37% for ‘happiness’.
In terms of ‘anxiety’, where a lower score indicates better personal wellbeing, 44% of people reported a ‘Very low’ score (0 or 1).
Average life satisfaction score
Overall score
In 2023/24, the average (mean) life satisfaction score for the population of Northern Ireland increased significantly to 7.8 compared with 7.6 in 2022/23. This indicates an improvement in wellbeing for this measure, and is considered to be ‘high’.
Figure 3.1: Average life satisfaction scores, 2014/15 to 2023/24
Note: Due to changes in the survey methodology, please exercise caution when comparing current data to that collected prior to 2020/21. All values have been rounded to one decimal place.
Group Differences
Average (mean) scores for life satisfaction were estimated (on a scale from 0 to 10) for eighteen group breakdowns. Significant differences were found in fifteen [Note 6]. There were no statistically significant differences in breakdowns for sex, sexual orientation or ethnicity.
The highest average (mean) signifying better wellbeing was shared by two groups, those reporting “very good” health and people living in Newry, Mourne and Down (8.3). The lowest average (mean) was among those who reported “bad/very bad” health (5.7).
The data discussed in this report are available in the accompanying tables.
Note 6: Please refer to [Note 2]
Average worthwhile score
In 2023/24, the average (mean) score for feeling the things we do in life are worthwhile for Northern Ireland was 8.0, which is considered ‘high’. This is a statistically significant change from 7.9 in 2022/23.
Figure 3.2: Average worthwhile scores, 2014/15 to 2023/24
Note: Due to changes in the survey methodology, please exercise caution when comparing current data to that collected prior to 2020/21. All values have been rounded to one decimal place.
Group Differences
Average (mean) scores for feeling the things we do in life are worthwhile were estimated (on a scale from 0 to 10) for eighteen group breakdowns. Significant differences [Note 7] were found in sixteen groups. There were no statistically significant differences in breakdowns for sexual orientation or ethnicity.
The highest average (mean), signifying better wellbeing was among those reporting “very good” health (8.6). The lowest average (mean), signifying poorer wellbeing, was among those reporting “bad/very bad” health (6.2).
The data discussed in this report are available in the accompanying tables.
Note 7: Please refer to [Note 2]
Average happiness score
Overall Score
In 2023/24, the average (mean) score for happiness in Northern Ireland (7.6) remained ‘high’, with this figure staying the same as the previous year.
Figure 3.3: Average happiness scores, 2014/15 to 2023/24
Note: Due to changes in the survey methodology, please exercise caution when comparing current data to that collected prior to 2020/21. All values have been rounded to one decimal place.
Group Differences
Average (mean) scores for happiness were estimated (on a scale from 0 to 10) for eighteen group breakdowns. Significant differences were found in fourteen [Note 8]. There were no statistically significant differences in breakdowns for sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity or internet access.
The highest average (mean), signifying better wellbeing was shared between two groups, those living in Mid Ulster and those reporting “very good” health (8.2). The lowest average (mean), signifying poorer wellbeing, was among those reporting “bad/very bad” health (5.7).
The data discussed in this report are available in the accompanying tables.
Note 8: Please refer to [Note 2]
Average anxiety score
Overall score
In 2023/24, the average (mean) score for anxiety for Northern Ireland was 2.8, which is considered ‘low’. This figure is not significantly different from the previous year (2.9 in 2022/23).
Figure 3.4: Average anxiety scores, 2014/15 to 2023/24
Note: Due to changes in the survey methodology, please exercise caution when comparing current data to that collected prior to 2020/21. All values have been rounded to one decimal place.
Group differences
Average (mean) scores for anxiety were estimated (on a scale from 0 to 10) for eighteen group breakdowns. Significant differences were found in fifteen groups [Note 9]. There were no statistically significant differences in breakdowns for sexual orientation, ethnicity or internet access.
The lowest average (mean), signifying better wellbeing, was among those living in Mid Ulster (1.7). The highest average (mean), signifying poorer wellbeing, was among those reporting “bad/very bad” health (5.1).
The data discussed in this report are available in the accompanying tables.
Note 9: Please refer to [Note 2]
Locus of Control
What is locus of control?
Locus of control is a construct which explains the degree to which a person feels they have control over their life [Note 10]. It refers to where someone believes control is located and ranges from ‘external’ to ‘internal’.
Those with external locus of control feel events are influenced by outside factors, making it beyond an individual’s control to shape the events of their life.
Those with internal locus of control believe in their own influence over life events and are confident that their actions can have direct effects on their life outcomes. They tend to tackle problems confidently, persevere and improve on their tasks.
Note 10: Further information can be found in the Technical Notes at the end of this report.
Average locus of control score
Overall score
The locus of control scores range from 5 to 25. A lower score indicates a belief that life is determined by outside factors (external). A higher score shows a belief in one’s own control (internal). In 2023/24, the average (mean) locus of control score for Northern Ireland was 17.2, which is considered more internal than external. There was no change from the previous year (17.2 in 2022/23).
Figure 4.1: Average locus of control scores, 2014/15 to 2023/24
Note: Due to changes in the survey methodology, please exercise caution when comparing current data to that collected prior to 2020/21. All values have been rounded to one decimal place.
Group Differences
Average (mean) scores were estimated on a scale from 5 to 25 (external-internal) for seventeen group breakdowns. Significant differences were found in fifteen [Note 11]. There were no statistically significant differences in group breakdowns for sexual orientation or urban/rural. Comparisons were not analysed for ethnicity as only one category was large enough to report on.
The lowest (most external) average (mean) was found amongst those reporting “bad/very bad” health (15.9). The highest (most internal) average (mean) was found amongst those living in Lisburn and Castlereagh (18.4).
The data discussed in this report are available in the accompanying tables.
Note 11: Please refer to [Note 2]
Technical Notes
Instruments for measuring individual wellbeing
Definitions
Loneliness
Loneliness measures the frequency with which people report feeling lonely but not the level of loneliness they experience.
Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy is a person’s belief about their capabilities to exercise influence over events that affect their lives. People with high self-efficacy are often seen as confident in their capabilities and produce sustained efforts to achieve their goals. In contrast, people with low self-efficacy often doubt their capabilities, are less ambitious and give up on their aims when challenged.
Low Self-efficacy
The tool for measuring self-efficacy is a simple statement-based survey tool. It takes the form of five simple statements to which the individual indicates to what extent they agree or disagree on a five-point Likert scale. Self-efficacy is then presented as an overall score, minimum 5 and maximum 25, taken from the summed total of the five statement questions. Self-efficacy scores of 70% or more of the total possible score (i.e. 18 to 25) are categorised as high self-efficacy; low self-efficacy is therefore anything under 70% of the total possible score (i.e. 5 to 17).
Life Satisfaction
Life satisfaction relates to an individual’s satisfaction with their life overall.
Happiness
Happiness relates to how happy the respondent felt on the day prior to being interviewed.
Worthwhile
Worthwhile relates to the extent to which a person feels the things they do in life are worthwhile.
Anxiety
Anxiety relates to how anxious the respondent felt on the day prior to being interviewed.
Locus of Control
Locus of control is a personality construct which explains the degree to which a person feels they have control over their life.
Survey tools
Loneliness
The analyses in this report are based on the direct measure of loneliness to which the available responses are “Often/always”, “Some of the time”, “Occasionally”, “Hardly ever” and “Never”. The question below therefore measures the frequency with which people report feeling lonely, but not the level of loneliness they experience:
Loneliness question:
- How often do you feel lonely?
This question adheres to the Government Statistical Service (GSS) harmonised principals and will be comparable with data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Self-efficacy
The instruments for measuring self-efficacy is a simple statement-based survey tool. It takes the form of five statements to which the individual indicates to what extent they agree or disagree on a five-point Likert scale. Self-efficacy is presented as an overall score (minimum 5 and maximum 25), taken from the summed total of the five statement questions. Self-efficacy scores were categorised as low if they fell between 5 and 17, i.e. in the bottom 70% of the scale.
Self-efficacy statements:
I can always manage to solve difficult problems if I try hard enough.
I am confident that I could deal efficiently with unexpected events.
I can remain calm when facing difficulties because I can rely on my coping abilities.
When I am confronted with a problem, I can usually find several solutions.
No matter what comes my way, I’m usually able to handle it.
Personal Wellbeing
Each of the personal wellbeing statements are presented as single questions to which the individual is asked to respond to each question on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is “not at all” and 10 is “completely”. This means that a higher score indicates better wellbeing in relation to life satisfaction, worthwhile and happiness, and a lower score indicates better wellbeing for anxiety.
Personal wellbeing questions:
Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?
Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?
Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?
Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?
These questions adhere to the Government Statistical Service (GSS) harmonised principals and will be comparable with data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Personal wellbeing statistics are reported in two ways:
The average (mean) rating.
The proportion scoring within each of the rating thresholds outlined in Table 1: Labelling of Thresholds.
Locus of Control
Similar to self-efficacy, the instrument for measuring locus of control is a simple statement-based survey tool. It takes the form of five statements to which the individual indicates to what extent they agree or disagree on a five-point Likert scale. Locus of control is presented as an overall score, minimum 5 and maximum 25, taken from the summed total of the five statement questions.
Locus of control statements:
I am in control of my life.
If I take the right steps, I can avoid problems.
Most things that affect my life happen by accident.
If it’s meant to be, I will be successful.
I can only do what people in my life want me to do.
Further information on self-efficacy, locus of control and life satisfaction can be found under ‘Background Research’ on The Executive Office Statistics and Research webpages.
Strengths and limitations
While self-efficacy and the four personal wellbeing measures are scored from low to high, the construct of locus of control is scored on a continuum from external to internal where neither extreme is ideal.
All reported averages (means) and proportions are estimates. The accompanying data tables include confidence intervals. These represent the range on either side of the estimate which we can be 95% certain contains the true population value.
Data collection and analysis
Continuous Household Survey
This report presents findings from the 2023/24 Continuous Household Survey (CHS) on the self-reported individual wellbeing of the Northern Ireland population. The CHS is carried out by the Central Survey Unit (CSU) within the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). The CHS has been in existence since 1983 and is designed to provide a regular source of information on a wide range of social and economic issues relevant to Northern Ireland.
More information on CHS can be found here on the CHS survey page.
Sample
The 2023/24 CHS is based on a systematic random sample of 8,940 addresses drawn each year from the Pointer list of domestic addresses. Pointer is the address database for Northern Ireland and is maintained by Land & Property Services, with input from Local Councils and Royal Mail.
In March 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, NISRA suspended all face-to-face interviewing or CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing). This was replaced by telephone interviewing, or CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing). With the lifting of some restrictions, from the month of April 2022, CSU implemented the knock to nudge method. This meant that Interviewers could once again call at sampled addresses to encourage people to participate in the survey while adhering to the COVID health and safety advice/restrictions. Interviewers were not permitted to enter the property, only to collect contact information to complete the survey using CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) at an agreed time. From July 2022 onwards, CSU reinstated face-to-face interviewing, of CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing). This meant that the CHS became dual-modality, allowing for both telephone and face-to-face interviewing. The dual-mode approach continued throughout 2023/24. However, during this period, interviewers were advised that face-to-face interviewing should be used where possible.
The achieved response rate was 50% (4,927 individuals), which is a lower response compared with the normal achieved response rate of approximately 55% in face-to-face mode and similar to the achieved response rate in 2022/23 (51%). In any survey, there is a possibility of non-response bias. Non-response bias arises if the characteristics of non-respondents differ from those of respondents in such a way that they are reflected in the responses given in the survey. Weighting has been applied where necessary to minimise this bias and this is discussed in more detail below.
Further information on the CHS sample and questionnaire can be found in the Continuous Household Survey Technical Report.
Sampling error and weights
As the CHS is a sample survey there is a certain level of sampling error, i.e. the characteristics of the group sampled may differ slightly from the population as a whole. To account for this sampling error, the data has been weighted in order to produce estimates that better represent the population. The adjustment may be less than or greater than 1, but is generally close to 1. A range of different weights have been applied to account for how the various sample groups differ from the population they represent. Cases have been weighted to adjust for sex, age and deprivation. This reduces (but does not completely eliminate) error. All reported means and percentages have been weighted. The accompanying data tables include the 95% confidence intervals for each estimate. These confidence intervals represent the ranges either side of the CHS estimates which are 95% certain to include the true values for the population.
Publication threshold
It is the nature of sampling variability that the smaller the group whose size is being estimated, the less precise (proportionately) that estimate is. Estimates for groups where the sample base is less than 100 have been omitted from the report, as they are likely to be unreliable. These instances have been denoted with an asterisk (*) in the accompanying data tables.
Statistical significance
Statistically significant differences between years (at the 95% level) have been highlighted throughout the report. A full list of statistically significant differences between groups, for example between males and females, can be found in the accompanying tables. Differences between estimates are considered to be statistically significant where we can be 95% confident that they represent actual differences at population level and have not just arisen by chance. The base numbers, average (mean) scores and percentages have an effect on statistical significance. Therefore, on occasion, a difference between two groups may be statistically significant while the same difference in average (mean) score or percentage points between two other groups may not be statistically significant. The reason for this is because the larger the base numbers or the closer the percentages are to 0 or 100, the smaller the standard errors. This leads to increased precision of the estimates which increases the likelihood that the difference is actually significant and did not just arise by chance.
Official statistics
As an Official Statistics publication, this report complies with all aspects of the UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice. Our Statistical policies and statements provide further details of how we apply the principles and practices of the Code in the production and publication of our official statistics.
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.
User engagement and enhancements to publication
Over the past number of years, the statistical team has taken part in user engagement events with those from within relevant NICS policy areas as well as external users, such as charity groups and academia. The team also took part in Systemic reviews run by the Office for Statistics regulation (OSR) for Loneliness and Mental Health. Following this engagement, a number of changes were made to the publication of Wellbeing data from 2021/22 onwards. Users requested a breakdown of data at lower geography levels. Data is now published by Parliamentary constituency and this can be accessed in the Individual Wellbeing in NI 2023/24 Tables.
To enable users to easily access data by sub population breakdowns, the statistical team have worked with the NISRA Tech Lab to create the Individual Wellbeing in NI Dashboard. The dashboard contains time series data for all breakdowns in charts and graphs, which can be exported and used in your own reports and research publications.
Available breakdowns:
Sex
The CHS outlines two Sex categories for respondents: Male and Female.
Age
The CHS asks respondents for their age at their last birthday. For the purposes of this report, the ages were coded into the following groups: 16-24 years, 25-34 years, 35-44 years, 45-54 years, 55-64 years, 65-74 years and 75 years and over.
Marital status
The CHS outlines nine distinct marital status categories for respondents. For the purposes of this report, the responses were coded into five categories, as follows:
Single
Married/in a civil partnership
Separated
Divorced
Widowed
Sexual orientation
The CHS outlines four distinct groups for sexual identity for respondents: Heterosexual/Straight, Gay/Lesbian, Bisexual, Other. For the purposes of this report, the aforementioned groups were coded into two distinct categories, as follows:
Heterosexual/Straight
Other – to include Gay/Lesbian, Bisexual and Other
Religion
Interviewers for the CHS collected information on the religion of residents aged 16 and over in each household, the religious categories represented within the questionnaire were as follows: Catholic, Presbyterian, Church of Ireland, Methodist, Baptist, Free Presbyterian, Brethren, Protestant – not specified, Christian – not specified, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Any other religion, No religion. For the purposes of this report, the aforementioned religious groups were coded into three distinct categories, as follows:
Catholic
Protestant - to include Presbyterian, Church of Ireland, Methodist, Baptist, Free Presbyterian, Brethren, Protestant – not specified and Christian – not specified
Other/no religion – to include Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, any other religion, respondents that did not specify a religion, and for those for whom religion could not be determined
The accompanying tables provide an additional breakdown for religion. The 2023/24 sample size allows for a 4 category breakdown of religion, separating out ‘other’ and ‘none’ which are combined in the 3 category breakdown. We know this data is of interest to users and have published both breakdowns for 2023/24. We will continue to monitor this to see what breakdowns can be provided in future years.
Dependants
An individual is defined as having dependants if they have responsibility for the care of:
A child(ren)
A person with a disability
A dependant elderly person
General health
The CHS outlines five distinct health categories by which respondents report on their general health. For the purposes of this report, responses were recoded into four groups;
Very good
Good
Fair
Bad/very bad
Disability
An individual has been included as having a disability where they have reported that they have a physical or mental health condition(s) or illness(es) lasting or expected to last for 12 months or more, which reduces their ability to carry out day to day activities.
Ethnicity
The CHS outlines 16 distinct ethnic groups for respondents. For the purposes of this report, the aforementioned groups were coded into two distinct categories, as follows:
White
Other – to include Irish Traveller, White and Black Caribbean, White and Black African, White and Asian, Any other mixed/multiple ethnic background, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Any other Asian background, African, Caribbean, Any other Black/African/Caribbean background, Arab, and Any other ethnic group
Employment status
The following definitions for employment status are used for the data presented in this report:
In paid employment - Comprises all individuals aged 16 or over who are in paid employment (both employees and self-employed), those on government training or work schemes, those who had a formal attachment to their job but were temporarily not at work during the reference period, performed some work for profit or family gain in cash or kind, were with an enterprise such as a business, farm or service but who were temporarily not at work during the reference period for any reason.
Not in paid employment - The not in paid employment comprises all individuals aged 16 or over who are without work, that is, not in paid employment or self-employment, currently available for both paid employment or self-employment and seeking work with specific steps taken to seek either employment or self-employment, or are inactive.
Household Count
The CHS collected information on the number of people living in the house. Respondents were asked how many people live in your household, that is, whose main residence this is and who share cooking facilities, and share either a living room, sitting room or dining area with you. For the purposes of this report, the household count was coded into the following groups: 1 person, 2 people and 3 or more people.
Tenure
Interviewers for the CHS collected information on the tenure of the accommodation in which the respondent lives in. This was coded for the purposes of this report into the following groups:
Owner occupied: This comprises of ‘owns it outright’, ‘buying with the help of a mortgage or loan’ or ‘pay part rent and part mortgage (co-ownership)’
Social rented: This includes ‘rented from Housing Executive’ or ‘rented from a housing association’
Private rented: This includes rented privately’ or ‘lives here rent free’
Deprivation
Deprivation figures presented in this report are based on the Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure 2017, which is a measure of deprivation at the small area level. Quintiles of Deprivation categorise an area of deprivation; Quintile 1 (Q1) represents the 20% most deprived areas, and Quintile 5 (Q5) represents the 20% least deprived.
Urban/Rural
Data presented in this report have been analysed by whether respondents are living in areas that have been categorised as either Urban or Rural using the Settlement 15 geography classification. Classification by Super Output Area (SOA) is available, but due to the small sample sizes for the ‘Mixed’ category, Settlement 15 is presented here. More information on the definitions for urban/rural classifications can be found on the NISRA website.
Local Government District
Data presented in this report have also been analysed by which of the 11 Local Government Districts (LGD2014) respondents are living in: Antrim and Newtownabbey, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Belfast City, Causeway Coast and Glens, Derry City and Strabane, Fermanagh and Omagh, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Mid and East Antrim, Mid Ulster, Newry, Mourne and Down, Ards and North Down.
Parliamentary Constituency
Parliamentary Constituencies are the areas used to elect Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons in Westminster. Northern Ireland is divided into 18 Assembly Areas which are used for Parliamentary Constituencies – the latest set were created in 2023 but did not come into use until the UK Parliamentary Elections on the 4th July 2024. Field work for the 2023/24 Continuous Household Survey took place before these changes came into effect, therefore previous boundaries have been used in this report.
Other relevant statistical releases
Although this report is the official source for Wellbeing data in Northern Ireland, Personal Wellbeing data collected in the Labour Force survey for Northern Ireland is also published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in their Personal well-being in the UK bulletin, which was released on 7th November 2023. The ONS publication reports Personal Wellbeing data at NI level and by LGD. This has been compared with the findings in this report and none of the results were found to be significantly different.
The NISRA Coronavirus Opinion Survey collected data on Personal Wellbeing and Loneliness throughout the Pandemic from April 2020 to March 2022. This data can be found on the NISRA Coronavirus Opinion Survey page.
The Department for Communities recently conducted analysis on the relationship between engagement in culture, arts and sport, and the wellbeing metrics - life satisfaction, self-efficacy, locus on control and loneliness. The findings of this analysis can be found in the Wellbeing and engagement in culture, arts, heritage and sport by adults in Northern Ireland 2022/23 report.
Data on Mental Health and those showing signs of loneliness are published by the Department of Health in the Health Survey First results report.
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