Active Retirement members give their views of life with a State pension

MEMBERS

of Active Re-

tirement Associations

in Co

Louth have given their views on what it is like to be living on the State pension, through a nationwide survey conducted by Active Retirement Ireland, the country’s largest membership organisation for older people.

The consultation has found that 58% of those surveyed feel the State pension is not enough to allow them to participate in life as much as they would like, despite the increase of €12 a week to the pension in last year’s Budget.

A total of 437 members from Active Retirement Associations from every county in the Republic of Ireland, including Co Louth, took part in the consultation in March and April 2023. Respondents were aged 55+, with the majority of respondents (55%) aged 70–79.

When asked what impact the additional €12 a week had made for them, 39% felt that the increase was not enough to allow them to cover their expenses and take the pressure off, while 29% said they still cannot afford a basic standard of living. More than half (55%) of respondents said they are worried about the future and what will happen to them.

Active Retirement Ireland, which carried out the survey in March and April this year, said the findings paint a bleak picture of what it is like to be living on the State pension in Ireland, with the organisation calling on the Government to benchmark the State pension at 34% of average earnings.

CEO of Active Retirement Ireland, Maureen kavanagh, said: “Budget 2024 is an opportunity for the Government to end pension poverty and deliver their promise of an adequate pension linked to inflation and wage growth.

“Small, ad-hoc amount increases added to the State pension here and there on Budget Day must stop once and for all. The State pension is losing buying power every year and currently sits at just