Attitudes to the importance of jobs, leisure and politics in the lives of men differ sharply with age, writes Carl O'Brien Social Affairs Correspondent
FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE has emerged as the single most important issue in the lives of men in Ireland, according to the results of an Irish Times/Behaviour Attitudes poll on men.
However, sharp differences in attitudes towards issues such as money, leisure and politics are evident between younger and older men.
A total of 97 per cent of men rank financial independence as an important item in their lives, followed by being able to look after themselves (96 per cent), leisure time (91 per cent), wife/girlfriend (83 per cent) and being able to look after their wife and children (83 per cent).
Issues such as fashion and feminism are among the least important topics in their lives, with 20 per cent and 21 per cent ranking them as not at all important.
In general, younger men are much more likely to rank issues such as leisure time, social/nightlife, personal care and having a circle of male friends as items of higher importance than older men. Older men, on the other hand, are more likely to rank their wife or girlfriend, taking care of children, politics, religion and career as very important aspects of their lives.
Leisure
Leisure is the most important issue in the lives of younger men. A total of 73 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds rank leisure as "very important", slightly above financial independence as an issue.
This proportion drops to about 50 per cent among groups aged 45 and upwards and falls to just 31 per cent among the over-65s.
Fashion is also much more important among younger men. For example, 25 per cent of 18-24s and 15 per cent of 25-34s say it is very important, falling to between 7 and 8 per cent among those in their 40s and 50s.
Keeping fit, too, is a bigger preoccupation of younger men, as is personal care, such as skin or hair.
Personal appearance, for example, is very important among 42 per cent of 18-24s, falling to 19 per cent of those aged 65-plus.
Male friendship is a much bigger issue of importance among younger men.
The highest ranking is among 18-24s (53 per cent), falling with age to just 21 per cent among those aged 65-plus, reflecting some of the isolation evident among many older men.
Politics
Politics, on the other hand,
grows much more important in the lives of men the older they
get. For example, just 8 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds say it is
"very important", rising to 20 per cent among those in their 40s and 50s.
The importance of religion, too, varies dramatically with age.
For example, it is "very important" among 60 per cent of those aged 65 or more, falling to just 8 per cent among those aged 25-34.
The proportion who say their wife or girlfriend is very important tends to be higher among middle-aged and older men, peaking at 67 per cent among the over-65s.
The proportion of men who consider equality of the sexes very important is similar across most age groups, hovering at about 30 per cent.
Making ends meet
Most men say they are able to make ends meet relatively easily. A total of 43 per cent say they can make ends meet fairly easily, while 13 per cent say they can do so easily.
Middle-aged men are most likely to be able to make ends meet and have more disposable income available at the end of a typical month.
In total, 25 per cent of men experience a "little difficulty" making ends meet, while a total of 14 per cent say they do so with "some difficulty" or "great difficulty".
Once bills are paid, almost
half of men say they have
between €100 and €400 left to spend on themselves each
month.
Worries
When asked what concerns them most, day-to-day living expenses and crime emerge as the biggest worries among men.
Some 67 per cent of men feel either extremely or very concerned about the cost of day- to-day living. Men are also extremely concerned or very worried about issues such as crime (62 per cent), the health service (56 per cent) and rising interest rates (54 per cent).
Issues such as personal health are among the issues of lowest concern (23 per cent), as well as the education system (29 per cent) and the threat of international terrorism (30 per cent).
Meeting day-to-day living expenses is an issue of concern to all age groups, although it is lower among the youngest and oldest age groups.
Crime is a much bigger worry for older men, with rates of concern almost twice as high among men in their 50s and 60s compared to those in their late teens and early 20s. The health service, too, is a bigger concern for older men.
Some issues traditionally associated with young people, however, appear to be of similar if not greater concern to older men.
For example, the proportion of people who are "extremely concerned" about climate change is lowest among 18-24s (10 per cent) and higher among older men such as those aged 45-54 (14 per cent).
Job security
Younger men are much more likely to feel insecure in their jobs. They are also more likely to feel they will be working abroad or in a different job in 10 years.
They also - perhaps optimistically - are most likely to feel they won't have to work until retirement age at 65.
Two-thirds of all men say they feel either fairly secure or very secure in their jobs. Just 17 per cent feel "not very secure" or "not secure at all".
Older men are more likely to feel very secure, while younger men felt the most insecure.
For example, 11 per cent of those aged 18-24 did not feel secure, falling to 3 per cent among those aged 55-64.
Overall, most men (66 per cent) feel they will work in Ireland for the rest of their life.
Slightly more than a third (36 per cent) feel they will still be in the same job in 10 years' time.
Younger people are much more likely to feel they will be in a different job within a decade.
For example, 25 per cent of 18-24s feel they will be in the same job, compared to 56 per cent of those aged 45-54.
On working to retirement, a total of 36 per cent of 18-24s feel they will not have to, falling to 25 per cent among 25-34s and 16 per cent among those in their 40s and 50s.
More than half of all men feel they will earn more than their father did, in relative terms, at the same stage in their career.