Housing insecurity making Manx under-40s unhappy

Access to housing and making ends meet were cited as key issues for under 40s

Access to housing and money worries have been cited as reasons behind making some people on the Isle of Man less happy, according to an island-wide study.

The Social Attitudes Survey 2024 found that people on average were "moderately to very happy and satisfied with their lives".

But there were "significant disparities between the different age groups", in particular "those under 40 are significantly less satisfied or happy".

The report said this tied in with answers around financial security and housing accessibility.

Compiled by Statistics Isle of Man, the survey is the first of its kind since the Covid pandemic put the exercise on an indefinite hiatus in 2020.

Previously, a social attitudes survey had been conducted annually from 2016 by the Economic Affairs Division of the Cabinet Office, which was replaced by Statistics Isle of Man in 2021.

'Sense of anxiety'

The report noted that those under 40 experiencing lower levels of happiness was a "pattern seen elsewhere in the world".

It said "greater financial and housing insecurity", as well as a "sense of anxiety concerning global affairs" was negatively impacting lives in other areas.

In the local study, almost a quarter of respondents said accessing housing was "difficult or very difficult".

And one in five people said finding suitable employment was "challenging".

While more than 45% of people said they were "able to live comfortably on their present income", 40% of people described themselves as "coping".

Meanwhile 14.6% said they were "finding it difficult or very difficult" on their current incomes.

Again, the data showed that "a considerably larger percentage" of the under 40 age group found it difficult to make ends meet.

It showed more than 6% of households had gone without a number of basic needs, including sufficient heating, fresh fruit and vegetables, or a cooked meal each day.

The most common issue was going without heating, experienced by 13.6% of households.

And more than 2% reported accessing the Isle of Man's food bank in the last 12 months.

Elsewhere the report showed the "vast majority" of people felt safe in their neighbourhoods, supported inward migration, and felt a "strong sense of emotional attachment" to the island.

The survey was sent to about 3,000 Manx households, and it had a response rate of between 15 and17%.