COVID-19 Survey: Information Sheet for Cohort ’08 12/13-Year-Old

Main points:

  • You might remember an interviewer from Growing Up in Ireland coming to speak to you and your family when you were about 9 years old. Now we would like you to complete a short survey on your experiences since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. If your parent or guardian is happy for you to take part, they will let you know how to do this [More]
  • Growing Up in Ireland is an important government study that returns to the same young people to interview them every few years. This gives us a really complete picture of what life is like for them [More]
  • The aim of Growing Up in Ireland is to improve our understanding of the lives of children and young people so as to provide better supports and services for them [More]
  • All the young people of your age taking part in Growing Up in Ireland were chosen at random in 2008 when they were 9-months old [More]
  • Your answers to the Covid-19 Survey will let us know the effect the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions are having on you and your friends [More]
  • All the information you give us in answer to the questions on the Growing Up in Ireland survey will be treated as strictly confidential and private. It will be used only for statistical research purposes [More]
    • However, if you tell us something outside of the direct answers to the survey questions that leads us to be seriously concerned for your welfare, or that of another child or vulnerable person, we may have to tell someone who could help.
  • You can decide to take part in the survey. You can also decide to change your mind and withdraw from the survey at any time – even after you have completed the survey. If there is any question you do not wish to answer, you do not have to do so [More]
  • The participation of young people like you plays a major role in the success of Growing Up in Ireland. This is your chance to let researchers and the government know what life is like for you.
  • To ask a question or find more information, please click here.

 

Detailed Information

    1. Why are we contacting you?

You may remember that when you were younger an interviewer from Growing Up in Ireland called to your home to ask you some questions about what your life was like. The interviewer also spoke to your parents about what life as a parent is like.

Now we’d like to invite you to take part in a NEW ONLINE SURVEY about the Covid-19 pandemic.  We want to find out what effect it has had on you and your family and friends.  We’ve sent a link to the survey to your parent/guardian’s email address.  If they are happy for you to complete the survey, they will pass the link on to you. Simply click the link, fill in your answers and click Submit at the end.  It’ll take less than 10 minutes.

Your parent (or whoever looks after you) will also complete a survey, about themselves and you.

  1. What’s Growing Up in Ireland all about?

Growing Up in Ireland is a very important Government survey that aims to find out what life is like for children growing up in Ireland. We are a team of researchers called the Growing Up in Ireland Study Team, and we are carrying out the Growing Up in Ireland survey for the Government.

In 2008 11,000 infants were chosen at random to be part of Growing Up in Ireland – and you are one of them. Since then we have collected information about you at different ages. Returning to the same young people to interview them every few years gives us a really complete picture of what life is like for them.

  1. Why does the Government need to find out about young people?

Growing Up in Ireland is a really important survey. It collects information that will help the Government to understand children’s lives better. This information will also help Government to make good decisions about things that affect children and young people and things that will help improve their lives.

  1. Why was I chosen?

All the young people taking part in Growing Up in Ireland were chosen at random in 2008 when they were 9-months old. This was the best way to make sure we included children from different kinds of families and from different parts of the country. This gives us a good picture of what it is like to be growing up in every part of Ireland.

  1. What does Growing Up in Ireland tell us?

The survey gives us lots of information about the lives of children and young people. For instance, it gives us information about your health, your interests and activities, your education, and your relationships with your family and friends.  Your answers to this Covid-19 Survey will also let us know the effect the Covid-19 lockdown is having on you and your friends.

  1. Will this information be private?

All the information you give us in answer to the questions on the Growing Up in Ireland survey will be treated as strictly confidential and private. Nobody outside the GUI Study will be able to see your answers. Your answers to the survey questions are completely confidential under a law referred to as the Statistics Act (1993). Your name and other personal details will never appear in any reports from the survey. The answers you give in the survey can only be used for statistical research purposes.

There is one exception: if you tell us something outside of the direct answers to the survey questions that leads us to be seriously concerned for your welfare, or that of another child or vulnerable person, we may have to tell someone who could help.

In order to make the best use of your answers to the questions, this information may be matched to other types of information. This would only be done under strictly controlled procedures. The information could only be used for statistical research purposes and will not in any way allow you or your family to be identified.

  1. What are my rights if I take part?

You can decide to take part in the survey. You can also decide to change your mind and withdraw from the survey at any time – even after you have completed the survey. If there is any question do not wish to answer, you do not have to do so.

You may request access to the information about you on the questionnaires which you complete.

You can find more information about your rights here.

  1. Your participation counts!

Taking part in Growing Up in Ireland is voluntary. The participation of young people like you plays a major role in its success. It is only by carrying out research like this that we can understand what it is like to be a young person in Ireland today and how Government can help make life better.

We hope that you will be able to help us in our work and we would like to thank you for your time completing our questionnaires.

  1. Where can I find out more information?

  • Email: gui@esri.ie
  • Website: Visit growingup.ie
  • For general information about Covid-19 or the restrictions in place, visit this link
  • For other support services, please visit this link

 

 

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