Health, job security, and home ownership are the top markers of success for Ireland’s youth
Bank of Ireland launches new Youth Mind and Money Report, examining attitudes towards finances, happiness and what success means to them
Key findings
- Health, job security, and home ownership are the top markers for success for teens, young adults and 20 somethings
- 57% are optimistic about their future
- Parents have the biggest influence on the financial habits of Ireland’s teens
- 70% feel better when finances are in check and 79% value strong fraud support
- Saving is most important to 25-30-year-olds with 78% saying having good financial control positively impacts their wellbeing
- 67% rely on banks who can offer in-person advice for serious financial decisions
Good health, job security and owning a home are the top markers for success for young people in Ireland, according to Bank of Ireland’s new ‘Youth Mind and Money’ report.
The survey of 543 people aged 13-30 examines attitudes towards finances, mental health and happiness offering a snapshot of how young people across Ireland are feeling about finances, success and their wellbeing.
The link between financial control and mental health is clear, with 70% saying that they feel better when their finances are in check.
Teenagers (13–18-year-olds): Parents shaping their views on money
Spending time with friends (76%), family (69%) and having money to save and spend (64%) are the top three factors contributing to Irish teenagers’ happiness. Doing well in college and school is their number one marker of success (59%) followed by being healthy (55%).
Parents’ attitudes towards finances have the strongest influence on young people’s feelings towards money – three quarters say their parents’ attitudes towards money shapes their own view, and nearly half (47%) say their financial goals are similar to their parents. Teenagers also say that face to face contact and in-person advice is important when seeking out financial advice.
Young adults (19–24-year-olds): Health over wealth – living in the moment
Ireland’s young adults are the least concerned about saving with 74% saying it’s important to them, versus 86% of teens and 88% of 25–30-year-olds. However, while 82% recognise that there are considerable benefits to saving money, just over half (52%) are saving for the short-term, prioritising the next 6-12 months rather than the future.
Being healthy is their number one marker of success (63%), higher than any other age group. Having a secure job is important (62%) while 43% say being able to travel the world is what success looks like to them.
Twenty-somethings (25–30-year-olds): Money mindset – focused on finances and freedom
Saving money is a key goal for twenty-somethings, with 72% citing this as important to them, higher than any other age bracket. They also link finances to overall wellbeing with 78% stating that having control of their finances positively impacts their mental health.
Like other age-groups, being healthy remains an important success marker at (60%). However, the top choice for this group was having freedom (66%) followed by owning a home (56%).
Reflecting their strong financial focus, they are most interested in investing, with 57% saying it’s an area they are interested in. Over a third (37%) have sought investment advice from social media, versus 31% speaking to a financial advisor. In general, young men aged 18-30 are more likely to consider investing – 62% compared with 40% of young women of that age.
Stress and Social media: While all age groups are at different life stages, the Youth, Mind and Money some common themes for all age groups.
- Over half of those polled (56%) say they regularly feel stressed out.
- Female respondents report higher stress levels than male respondents at 62% versus 48%.
- Social media has a negative impact on mental health according to 77%, increasing to 82% among teenagers.
- Over a third (38%) admit they act differently online to how they are in real life.
- 41% say they would be willing to take a month-long digital detox.
However, despite its challenges social media remains an influencing factor in young people’s lives, with almost a quarter (24%) saying they trust it more than traditional outlets. Views vary among young male and females, with 32% of young men saying they trust it for information compared with just 15% of women under 30. Across the groups, there is uncertainty around whether AI/Artificial intelligence will ultimately have a positive impact on society, with 39% agreeing, and the rest are undecided or disagree.
Urban-Rural differences: Rural young people are significantly less likely to agree that they are comfortable talking about their mental health with people and are also less likely to believe in the positive benefits of AI. They are significantly less likely to have any investments currently and significantly more likely to rely on friends for financial advice.
Commenting, Rory Carty, Head of Youth and Customer Segments, Bank of Ireland said:
“Our new Youth Mind and Money report provides a fascinating glimpse into how young people view finances, happiness and wellbeing. And there are some strong themes emerging. The link between finances and mental health is clear, with 70% saying that being in control of their finances positively impacts their mental health.
Family and parental influence on money and life decisions is profound – with 67% saying their parents’ attitudes towards money have influenced their own financial habits and decisions.
“We also see that teenagers really value saving, with 64% say that save often, so we designed our Smart Start current account with a savings option designed to encourage good financial habits from an early age. Smart Start also offers extensive parental controls and safeguards, which responds to 79% who say that strong fraud controls are important to them.
“Being able to access advice in person or over the phone is important to younger customers, as well as technology – so we invest heavily in our network and our people to ensure we have the best support and technology available.
Listening to our younger customers and responding to their fast-evolving needs will help us to build stronger relationships and ensure that our services reflect how they want to bank now and in the future.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Research source: Bank of Ireland Youth Mind & Money report
Nationally representative sample of n=543 young people aged 13 -30 living in the Republic of Ireland
Interviews were conducted from 22nd July – 10th August 2025