New Research Reveals Quality Time is at the ‘Center’ of Many Happy Families in Ireland

Center Parcs Ireland Research Study Reveals What Brings Families in Ireland Together Today

Key Findings:

• Ireland scores 68.2 (out of 100) in the second ever national Family Togetherness Index, higher than the first index conducted in 2018 (65.3)
• Nearly half of (46%) parents say they experience more quality time with their children since the first index, with more flexible working arrangements the most common reason why
• While more parents (64%) are satisfied with their work/life balance now than the first index (59%), 35% are still not entirely happy with theirs
• 35% of parents experience the best bonding moments with their children on holidays
• Over two thirds (69%) of families are physically active together, and swimming (41%), soccer (33%), and GAA (all sports) (29%) are the most common physical activities that children are participating in

The second ever Family Togetherness Index^[1] for Ireland has a score of 68.2 out of 100, higher than the first index conducted in 2018 (65.3). That’s according to the findings of new research issued by Center Parcs Ireland today in collaboration with child psychotherapist, Dr. Colman Noctor.

In 2018, one year prior to opening Longford Forest, Center Parcs Ireland developed the country’s first Family Togetherness Index to understand how Irish families were faring in terms of quality time spent together. To mark Longford Forest’s fifth anniversary, Center Parcs Ireland re-commissioned the research index to compare the integrated family experience today versus five years ago.

The nationally representative study, which was carried out among parents of children aged 16 and under, found that in the five years since the findings of the first index were revealed, families feel even more together as a unit now, with 63% very satisfied with how ‘together’ their family feels compared to 60% in 2018.

More flexibility, more family time

Of those polled for the Center Parcs Ireland study, three out of four parents are working, with one in three of those able to work from home either full or part time. Two in five parents (46%) feel that they are spending more quality time with their children today compared to five years ago, with the ability to work from home cited as a key factor.

While more parents (64%) are happier with their work / life balance than the first index (59%), 35% are not satisfied with theirs, and would like more quality time with their family during the working week. Despite this, 61% of parents report spending more quality time with their children now than they did with their own parents as a child, a 10% increase from the first index (51%).

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Colman Noctor said: “Working from home gives parents more opportunities to spend time with their children during the week. However, the fact that 35% of parents are still dissatisfied with their work/life balance might indicate that, for some, increased flexibility in their work schedule blurs the boundaries, leading to more time spent on work activities at home. Strictly adhering to a finishing time for work every day could help parents achieve a better work/life balance and increase their satisfaction levels”.

Being active

Over two thirds (69%) of families spend quality time together engaging in physical activity, an increase of 2% from 2018. In Ireland, nearly nine in ten children are involved in sports or extra-curricular activities, for an average of four hours a week. At least four in five (82%) children are involved in at least one sport as an extra-curricular activity, with swimming (41%), soccer (33%) and GAA sports (29%) most popular.

Aside from physical activity, another moment that can be relied upon to deliver happiness is the day a holiday begins (63%). Perhaps it’s no wonder that families’ faces are always beaming when they arrive at Center Parcs Longford Forest for their short break!

Commenting on this, Dr. Colman Noctor says, “It is interesting that families mention the importance of extra-curricular activities like sports to keep their children active, but we also must be mindful of the risk of over-scheduling. It is great to see however, that many parents are doing the activities with their children and seizing the opportunity to get involved in what they’re passionate about to create moments of true closeness.”

Feeling connected

Families are feeling more connected than six years ago. Now, four in five (80%) of parents feel truly connected with their children frequently, an increase from 72% in 2018.

In addition to families and physical activity, enjoying meals together (63%), chats on the school run (63%) and being ‘silly billies’ (55%) are the moments that connect parents with their children on a closer level. There are challenges that parents face in creating moments of family togetherness with managing a ‘busy life schedule’ (43%), budgetary constraints (42%), and Ireland’s unpredictable weather conditions (38%) being most common.

Today, 54% of parents are not satisfied with the amount of time their children are spending using tech devices, nearly three hours a day on average. However, three in four say that they would intervene if they felt that it was getting in the way of family activities.

Despite some challenges, families are feeling more connected than before due to the quality of their communication, with conversation around the ‘things they really enjoy doing’ (69%), activities at school (65%) and their children’s friends (60%) the top topics.

On these findings, Dr. Colman Noctor says, “The fact that half of parents are dissatisfied with the amount of time their children spend on devices is not a surprise. Managing our children’s attention is one of the greatest parenting challenges of our time and with device use so popular amongst children, parents must up their game to make family time more enticing, which is no mean feat. However, great to see the findings suggest that most are doing it successfully!”

Holiday time!

A holiday was voted by 35% of parents as the greatest opportunity to reconnect with their children.  The main benefits of holidays for parents are ‘creating lasting memories for my children’ (69%), being together as a family (64%), and time for the family to have a busy routine (62%).

For families who have travelled to Center Parcs Longford Forest and were polled by the brand afterwards^[2], almost all (96%) * say they felt more connected with their families afterwards, and 52% rated their stay a perfect 10!

Colin McKinlay, CEO of Center Parcs UK & Ireland, commented: “The Center Parcs UK & Ireland experience has been designed to enable families to make memories together that they will never forget. It’s great to see so many of our guests at Longford Forest report that they felt more connected with their families after their short break, particularly as parents value quality time so much with their children here in Ireland. It’s also important to understand priorities and challenges for families when navigating time together, to be able to continue evolving our version of family togetherness in Ireland and welcome more families to the unique surroundings of Longford Forest in years to come.”.

For more information on Ireland’s second ever Family Togetherness Index or to book a short break at Center Parcs Longford Forest, visit www.centerparcs.ie.

1 – refers to research conducted by IPSOS Behaviour and Attitudes (B&A) on behalf of Center Parcs Ireland, 2024

2 – refers to research conducted by Center Parcs Ireland of its guest database, 2024