Census figures - Changes to family life

The latest figures released by the Central Statistics Office provide an intriguing insight into the changing face of Ireland.

There was, for instance, a 12% increase in the number of families between 2006 and 2011. This was 55.6% more than 20 years earlier.

The percentage of people over 15 years of age who were single fell by 1.4%, while the married population increased by 9.2%. The number of unmarried people who emigrated is undoubtedly a factor in the changes.

The average number of children per family, which had been declining, stabilised in the latest census. That average, which was 2.0 children per family in 1991, fell to 1.9 in 1996, to 1.6 in 2002, and to 1.4 in 2006, but it seems to be levelling off at 1.4 in the 2011 census.

There has, however, been a distinct rise in the number of adults in their 20s and 30s moving back to live with their parents, despite there being more vacant houses and apartments than at any time in our history. Such statistics are indicative that the far-reaching social consequences of the demise of the Celtic Tiger economy require careful monitoring.