The changing social worlds of 9-year-olds

This report compared the experiences of 9-year-olds born a decade apart by drawing on Wave 1 of the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) Cohort ’98, conducted in 2007/08, and Wave 5 of GUI Cohort ‘08, conducted in 2017/18. It documents changes in their lives across the domains of relationships with family and peers, day-to-day activities and engagement with formal and informal learning. The analyses draw on survey data as well as time-use diaries completed by the children and their families, providing rich insights into their lives against a backdrop of rapid societal transformation. The decade between the two waves, 2007/08 to 2017/18, saw significant economic and social change as well as important policy developments. However, to date little has been known about how these changes have impacted on the lives of children.