OECD Conference on New Frontiers in Subjective Well-being Measurement, 4 March 2024, OECD Conference Centre, Paris, France and online

1. Child Poverty and
Well-being Programme Office
New Frontiers in Subjective Well-being
Measurement
Dr. Anna Visser, 4 March 2024
St Laurence O’Toole’s CBS,
Self-Portraits with Susie Fortune

2. 2 Roinn an Taoisigh | Department of the Taoiseach
Why do policy-makers need to understand children
and young people’s subjective well-being?
• We need all the measures we can get!
• The ‘adult gaze’ sometimes (often?) misses the
point!
• Kids need to know we are listening!

3. Kids’ Own Publishing, TADA!

4. 4 Roinn an Taoisigh | Department of the Taoiseach
Diamond Park, Dublin, photo @ Tripadvisor
“… exposure to EV [Economic Vulnerability]
during childhood is associated with poorer
outcomes ... These outcomes cover a range of
key dimensions, including cognitive and
educational attainment, school engagement,
socio-emotional development, life
satisfaction, self-concept, chronic
illness/disability, obesity, health behaviours
(for example, smoking, drinking for the ’98
cohort) and quality of relationships… In the
majority of cases, there appears to be a
cumulative effect of exposure ... That said, even
transitory spells of EV are associated with
worse outcomes compared to never
experiencing EV” (ESRI, 2021).
Poverty has complex and long term consequences for well-being

5. 0
5
10
15
20
25
Illness/disability Socioemotional difficulties
%
Never EV Transient EV Persistent EV Always EV
Parent report @ age 9
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Never EV Transient EV Persistent EV Always EV
%
Low self-concept, Child report @ age 9

6. SWAN Youth Service, Dublin 1 ‘Sticks and Stones’

7. 7 Roinn an Taoisigh | Department of the Taoiseach
Adult Gaze….
Social worlds of 13-year-olds from 2012-2022
• Young people whose parents have post-secondary or tertiary
qualifications are less likely to report a very good relationship (and
reported parental responsiveness) than those whose parents have lower
levels of education; relationship quality is also somewhat lower among
those from the highest-income families.
• Screentime changes… interesting very significant changes in child
reporting of gaming time… the proportion spending no time increasing
from 10 per cent to 40 per cent over the decade. At the other end of the
spectrum, the proportion spending four or more hours on computer
games declined from 17 to 6 per cent.

8. 8 Roinn an Taoisigh | Department of the Taoiseach
Legitimacy (and anyway it
is not optional!)
• Article 12 of the UNCRC gives the child
the right to express an opinion, and to
have that opinion taken into account
• Dedicated Participation Strategy and
new action plan 2024-2028.
• Closing the ‘feedback loop’.
Alice Nestor, winner
Photo Museum Ireland

9. 9 Roinn an Taoisigh | Department of the Taoiseach
• ClimateActionPlan(DECC)
• YouthHomelessness(DHLGH)
• KinshipCare(DCEDIY)
• RedevelopmentofthespecificationsforthePrimaryCurriculum(NCCA)
• EnvironmentProtectionAgencyStrategy(EPA)
• CreativeIrelandprogramme
• YouthServicesGrantSchemeReform(DCEDIY)
• SkinCancerPreventionawarenesscampaign(D.Health)
• NewFamilyJusticeStrategy(D.Justice)
• SchoolTransport(D.Education)
• SchoolsAnti-Bullingpolicy(D.Education)
• Ireland’sreportstotheUNCRC,UNCRPD)andtheUPR.

10. “When it comes to youth
matters and education,
majority of the say
should be from the
actual younger
generation not adults as
we are the ones living it”

11. Thank you
anna.visser@taoiseach.gov.ie
cpw@taoiseach.gov.ie
www.gov.ie/childpoverty