Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) Report on Household Amenities and Access to Services 2004-2019

Each year since 2004, the Survey on Income and Living Conditions collects data from households in Ireland. Some results relating to ownership of various household appliances and dwelling features are published in this release, illustrating how homes in Ireland have changed in the last 16 years.

Household Technology and Appliances

• Ownership of a fixed line telephone has fallen steadily over the past 16 years – in 2004, 86.9% of households had a fixed line telephone in their home, falling to 59.2% in 2019.  Meanwhile, 74.9% of individuals aged 16 and over owned a mobile phone in 2004, increasing to 97.1% in 2019.
• In 2004, one in two households (50.5%) possessed a computer in their home, increasing to over three in four (77.9%) in 2019.
• Entertainment technology has also seen changes since 2004, with CD players, stereos and DVD players becoming less common within households and satellite dishes increasing in popularity.
• In terms of small home appliances, 46.6% of households possessed a deep fat fryer in 2004 decreasing to 28.6% in 2019.  Most households possess a microwave, increasing from 81.7% of households in 2004 to 91.8% in 2019.
• The proportion of households with larger home appliances has remained relatively stable since 2004.  In 2019, 98.1% of households had a washing machine, 65.3% had a clothes dryer, and 65.4% had a dishwasher.

Dwelling Features and Cars

• The share of households that have double or triple glazing in their dwelling has increased steadily from 70.5% in 2004 to 94.2% in 2019.
• The proportion of households with a burglar alarm in their home increased from 27.5% in 2004 to 45.9% in 2019.
• Nine in ten (89.0%) households had a smoke alarm in 2008, increasing to 94.2% in 2019.
• Just over four in every five (80.6%) households reported having at least one car or van for private use in 2019, increasing from 75.6% in 2004.

Local Environment

• The share of households saying they had problems with crime, violence or vandalism in their local area has fallen from a high of 16.1% in 2006 to 8.2% in 2019.  This figure was higher for households in urban areas, at 10.2% in 2019, compared with 4.0% in rural areas.
• In 2019, the proportion of all households reporting problems with noise from the street or from neighbours was 8.3%.  This figure was higher for households in urban areas at 10.7%, compared with 3.2% in rural areas.
• In 2019, 6.0% of households said they had problems with pollution in their local area, compared with 9.0% in 2004.

Access to Services

• The proportion of rural households with some or great difficulty accessing public transport increased from 48.0% in 2011 to 57.0% in 2019, whereas the proportion for urban households remained the same in 2011 and 2019, 9.8% and 10.0% respectively.
• In 2019, one in ten (10.7%) urban households said they had some or great difficulty accessing primary health care services (such as a General Practitioner (GP), a primary health centre, a casualty department or similar, where first-aid treatment could be received), compared with almost four in ten (37.9%) rural households.
• Over one in four (28.1%) households in rural areas said they had some or great difficulty accessing a shop in 2019, compared with 6.3% of urban households.
• Rural households were also more likely to report having some or great difficulty accessing a bank (44.2%) or post office (33.1%) in 2019, compared with urban households at 16.8% and 8.8% respectively.