The Family Resources Survey for Northern Ireland (2014-15) is released

A report entitled The Family Resources Survey for Northern Ireland (2014-15)” containing statistics for the period April 2014 to the end of March 2015 was published by the Department for Communities (DfC) today.

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Key facts include:

Income and State Support

• On average, income from employment (wages, salaries and income from self-employment) made up 68% of total household income in Northern Ireland in 2014/15, compared to the United Kingdom average of 72%.
• A further 21% of gross income came from state support (benefits, including State Pension, and tax credits) while 7% came from private pensions.
• 64% of families receive some form of state support with 25% being in receipt of an income related benefit.

Tenure

• In 2004/05 there was a higher proportion of households in the social rented sector (17%) than in the private rented sector (10%). However by 2014/15 the percentage of households in the private rented sector had risen to 19% whereas the percentage of households in the social rented sector had fallen slightly to 15%.
• The percentage of households owned outright has increased from 31% in 2004/05 to 37% in 2014/15. In contrast, the percentage buying with a mortgage declined by 13 percentage points between 2004/05 and 2014/15 (42% to 29%).
• In 2014/15 median weekly household rent in Northern Ireland was higher for private sector rents (£92) than for social sector rents (£73).
• Although private rent is higher on average than social rent in Northern Ireland, the disparity is joint lowest among the UK regions, alongside North East, North West and East Midlands. The ratio between median weekly private sector rents and social sector rents in these regions was 1.3 and the highest was observed in London (2.1). This compares to the overall United Kingdom figure of 1.5.

Savings and Investments

• In 2014/15, 95% of households in Northern Ireland had a direct payment account including Post Office Card Accounts compared to a United Kingdom overall figure of 97%.
• In 2014/15, 54% of families had no savings. Those least likely to have savings included single adults with children, ‘workless, other inactive’, and households with lower incomes.

Carers and Disability

• In 2014/15, 8% of working age adults, 6% of State Pension age adults, and 2% of children were carers. These figures have remained relatively stable over the last 10 years.
• There were large differences in the main source of household income reported by individuals receiving care compared with the overall population; wages and salaries were the main source of income for only 16% of individuals receiving care compared with 58% of the population.
• In 2014/15, 20% of people in Northern Ireland reported a disability this equates to approximately 360,000 people. This level has been relatively constant over the last 10 years and is the same as the United Kingdom level.
• There were large differences in the main source of household income for those individuals with a disability compared with the overall population; wages and salaries were the main source of income for only 29% of individuals with a disability compared with 58% of the population.

Occupation and Employment

• In Northern Ireland, the employment status of adults has remained relatively stable over time. In 2014/15, just under half of all adults (49%) were employees, including those in full and part-time work, while 7% of adults were self-employed. This compares to 50% and 9% of adults in 2004/05 respectively.
• In 2014/15, 32% of adults contributed to a pension. Employees have the highest pension participation rate (60%), followed by self employed (27%) and the inactive (1%). Overall participation rates in employer-sponsored pension schemes were similar for males and females (32% and 31% respectively). However, participation in individual personal pension schemes is lower for females (2%) than for males (7%). Differences in personal pension participation rates between males and females will be affected by differences in economic status.

Notes to editors: 

1. This survey collects detailed data on income levels, resources and financial circumstances of individuals and households for the period from April 2014 to the end of March 2015. The FRS has been carried out in Great Britain since 1992, but 2002/03 saw the introduction of Northern Ireland for the first time.
2. Households interviewed in the survey are asked a wide range of questions about their circumstances. Although some of the information collected is available elsewhere, the FRS provides new or much more detailed information in a number of areas and brings some topics together on one survey.
3. Although the FRS is specifically of interest to DfC, other government departments and outside researchers will benefit from the availability of such a data source.  The database can be accessed through the UK Data Archive
4. Reports for the UK are available on the DWP website and for Northern Ireland
5. All media queries should be directed to the Department for Communities Press Office on 028 9082 3512 or email press.office@communities-ni.gov.uk. Out of office hours please contact the duty press officer via pager number 07623 974 383 and your call will be returned.

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