Majority of people worried about debt
More than half the Irish population was worried about debt and money problems throughout the year, a survey revealed today.
Almost a third of those polled described 2009 as either a bad year or their worst ever – with job security fears among the most-cited of anxieties.
Pollsters YouGov asked 1002 adults in the Irish Republic between November 27 and December 9 to list their top five worries during the year.
It found:
* Nearly 60% of the population has worried this year about debt, money and their bank balance – compared with 48% in the UK.
* Other top anxieties were family and friends relationships (38%), job security fears (35%) and health concerns (32%).
*People have been more worried about the state of Irish politics (28%), than world affairs (17%) or local affairs (8%).
* Exam stress and pressure to achieve affected 52% of young people (aged 18-24) compared with only 30% in the UK.
The survey was carried out for the Samaritans to mark the launch of its new helpline radio advert.
The advert will run on the airwaves over the next three weeks, at a traditionally difficult time of the year for people feeling stressed, anxious or unhappy.
Suzanne Costello, Samaritans’ director of Ireland, said the charity received more than 375,000 calls last year in the Republic.
Many of them were about the worries highlighted in the survey, with approximately one in every ten calls linked to financial stress.
“If people don’t talk about their problems, they can build up over time and spiral into more serious emotional distress,” she warned.
“Sharing your troubles can be a huge relief and is often the first step to finding a way of coping with the challenges that life throws at all of us.”
According to the survey findings, 45% of the population thought the last year was both good and bad – having had ups and downs – with just 16% describing it as a good year.
Loneliness was a bigger worry amongst young people – with 17% of those aged 18 to 24 years reporting it as their top concern – compared to only 8% of older people, aged 55 years and over.
More women (23%) were anxious about their appearance or ageing than men (13%) while over twice as many women (22%) worried about their ability to cope emotionally with life than men (11%).
Some 9% of men said they were worried about sport and how their favourite team is doing, compared to just 2% of women.
