Findings from the Consultation for Children and Young People
The COVID-19 Evaluation has held three consultations as part of its work to gather first hand data and understand the lived experiences of people and how the pandemic impacted them.
Findings from the general public consultation are available here and a bespoke consultation on the response in long term residential care facilities for older people is ongoing.
Consultation for Children and Young People
In October 2025, the Evaluation held a consultation for people aged 16-25. This age category was chosen as those participants would have been aged 11-20 at the beginning of the pandemic, and their perspectives and key concerns are therefore likely to be somewhat nuanced compared to the entire adult population.
We received over 550 responses. You can find an overview of the findings below. A further detailed breakdown of the findings is available in this presentation.
Background
The consultation featured an online focused survey that included themed multiple-choice questions and an open question for people to share their pandemic experience.
The survey was designed to capture and understand experiences across education, family life, employment, mental health and wellbeing, among other areas.
To inform the survey, the COVID-19 Evaluation worked with youth mental health charity Spunout.ie to design and run a focus group with children and young people. The survey was also tested by the COVID-19 Evaluation with a group of young people from Comhairle na nÓg.
Insights from this informed the survey, which resulted in a strong focus on:
- Education
- Development
- Milestone events
The Evaluation would like to thank these groups for their assistance.
Overview of findings
The top 3 concerns for respondents were:
- Mental health and wellbeing (26%)
- Relationships and social connections (23%)
- Education and development (21%)
Areas most negatively impacted were:
- Mental health and wellbeing (71%)
- Education and development (65%)
- Physical health (50%)
- Relationships and connections with others (50%)
The dimensions or aspects explored in the survey were:
1: Relationships and social connections (including bereavement and life events and milestones)
– 50% reported negative impacts on their relationships and connections with others
– Children and young people who lost a loved one found it harder to not see friends or family due to restrictions
2: Mental health and wellbeing
Biggest strains on respondents’ mental health included:
Loneliness (13%)
Boredom (11%)
General anxiety (11%)
Missing big life events (10%)
3: Physical health
– 50% of respondents reported that the pandemic response had a negative impact on their physical health
4: Housing and local environment (includes digital engagement)
– 92% lived with family members and had a mixed experience
5: Education
– 73% of respondents felt that school closures had a negative impact on them
– A digital divide emerged as there was a mixed response on the quality of online learning
– There were also mixed responses in relation to exams, school supports, grade inflation and other educational issues
6: Development
– Limitations to sports and activities largely impacted younger respondents
7: Work and time use
– Respondents overwhelmingly felt they lost a part of their childhood or teenager years due to the pandemic
8: Financial and job security
– 21% of respondents said the pandemic had a negative impact on their financial situation. The group most acutely affected was young adults with 67% of 21 year olds saying the pandemic negatively affected them financially.
9: Civil liberties, human rights and trust
– There was a divided response on whether the pandemic impacted their civil liberties, human rights and trust – 34% said that it had a negative impact, 23% reported no impact and 20% reported positive and negative impacts
COVID-19 and the COVID-19 response had far-reaching impacts for children and young people. Feedback provided included that:
- Non-essential healthcare was suspended leading to delays in diagnoses and treatment.
- Children with disabilities and mental health issues faced a sudden withdrawal of supports and services.
- School closures impacted children, young people and their families – their academic learning, mental health, social connections, access to sport and extracurricular activities.
- Key formative moments were profoundly altered – children and young people missed out on key events such as their first communion, confirmation, leaving primary school sitting State exams, attending their graduation or Debs, or celebrating big birthdays among others mentioned.
- This sense of lost time or missed opportunities profoundly impacted children and young people’s mental health.
To conclude
A further detailed breakdown of findings is available in this presentation.
The independent COVID-19 Evaluation members would like to thank all the young people who took part in this consultation. These findings are a valuable input into the Evaluation’s work and final report.
To note, the third and final consultation on the pandemic response in long term residential care facilities for older persons is ongoing. A survey for relatives/families of residents (including bereaved relatives), staff, managers and owners, and others directly supporting nursing homes took place in January and February 2026. Over 600 responses were received, and analysis of this data is ongoing and will be published in the coming weeks.
Additionally, the Evaluation also provided related bereaved families with a further opportunity to register their interest for private group listening sessions with the Chair of the COVID-19 Evaluation. These grouped in-person private listening sessions, for those who lost loved ones in long term residential care facilities during the pandemic, will take place over the coming weeks.