Factors associated with changes in consumption among smokers and alcohol drinkers during the COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ period

Background The impact of the COVID-19 public health social measures (PHSM) on health behaviours is poorly understood. We aimed to identify factors associated with changes in alcohol and tobacco consumption during the strictest period of PHSM ‘lockdown’. Methods Logistic regression analysis was conducted using secondary data from the Central Statistics Office Social Impact Survey collected during the first lockdown in Ireland (23 April– 1 May 2020). Results Of the 1362 (33.8%) individuals that responded to the survey, 80.6% were current drinkers and 26.0% were smokers. The majority of smokers (60.9%) and drinkers (60.6%) reported no change in consumption. However, 30.5% of smokers and 22.2% of drinkers reported increased consumption. Being concerned about household stress from confinement [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3–2.9, P = 0.002], working from home (aOR 2.1, 95 CI 1.4–3.3, P < 0.001) and urban living (aOR 2.0, 95 CI 1.5–2.9, P < 0.001) were associated with increases in alcohol consumption. Feeling very nervous (aOR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2–4.0, P = 0.009), feeling downhearted/depressed (aOR 2.4, 95% CI 1.3–4.4, P = 0.004), being concerned about someone else’s health (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1–3.9, P = 0.031), working from home (aOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.0–5.3, P = 0.046) and increases in alcohol consumption (aOR 3.6, 95% CI 1.7–7.7, P = 0.023) were associated with increases in tobacco consumption. Conclusion A mixed picture was evident in terms of changes in consumption among current smokers and drinkers. Increased consumption was more commonly reported than reductions. Increased consumption was associated with psychological distress and socio-economic factors. Policies and services should consider a response to widening inequalities in harmful consumption.

Introducing evidence into policy making in Ireland

This chapter discusses how in recent decades Ireland has increasingly used empirical evidence in policy making. Ireland has favoured an evidence informed approach to policy making, as opposed to an evidence based one, as this integrates empirical evidence with an acknowledgement that other factors that matter in policy making are not readily quantifiable. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has played an important role in the process of integrating evidence into policy making through the provision of high-quality datasets. The chapter also examines the investments being made in the skills sets needed to analyse the vast quantities of data available today and reviews the evolution of Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) in this regard.

Seasonal adjustment of Irish official statistics during the COVID-19 crisis

As experienced worldwide, the COVID-19 outbreak has had a severe impact on Irish society and the economy. The impact of the pandemic is evident in most of the Irish infra-annual socio-economic times series statistics. In terms of seasonal adjustment these effects cannot be ignored. The COVID-19 effects on time series data need to be identified and treated to ensure that seasonally adjusted data is trustworthy, accurate and reliable. Dealing with the COVID-19 effects poses both statistical and logistical challenges. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) in Ireland has taken a pro-active approach to seasonal adjustment during this crisis, using intervention models from the onset of the pandemic. Adopting intervention models from the beginning of the pandemic provides meaningful real-time statistics to our users as the impact of this crisis unfolds and will hopefully avoid large scale future revisions. This paper outlines the statistical framework that underpins our seasonal adjustment response and describes how the CSO responded to the COVID-19 crisis in terms of seasonal adjustment.

Technology Transfer in Poland: Overview

: The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the current state of technology transfer in Poland by examining various stages of the process and indicators associated with different actors involved. In order to examine the role of technology in polish enterprises, it takes into account different forms of intellectual property, both created and acquired in Poland. Data taken into consideration include domestic and external sources, focused on the years 2013 - 2017. The main sources of the statistics are the Polish Patent Office and the Central Statistics Office. : Phenomena observed in the data are supported and elaborated by domestic research articles concerned with technology transfer and open innovation. The most striking feature of such juxtaposition is the fact, that some of the indicators presented in the article are surprisingly low, considering overall economic situation. : All of the above represents the context of the Open Innovation Network project, which is also presented in the paper. Interpretation of the presented results is included in the discussion section. Some of the indicators confirm the status of polish economy as moderately innovative, however trends in performance of a small group of technical universities show a promising development in the field of technology transfer.

St. Lucia Technical Assistance Report—Rebasing GDP Mission

A technical assistance (TA) mission was undertaken by the Real Sector Statistics Advisor in the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC) to Saint Lucia during January 27-February 7, 2020, to provide advice to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on compiling rebased GDP estimates. The 2006 base year for the GDP estimates is outdated and does not reflect the current structure of the economy. There is scope to improve the data sources and GDP compilation methodology and to implement the relevant System of National Accounts 2008 (2008 SNA) recommendations.

The Rise and Fall of the Celtic Tiger and the evolution of an Urban System: 1996–2011

During the 1990s the Celtic Tiger era began in the Republic of Ireland. This article tracks the response of the Irish Urban System to that remarkable period of growth ended abruptly with the Global Economic Crisis of 2008. Using Small Area Population Statistics from Ireland’s Central Statistics Office for the years 1996, 2002, 2006 and 2011 it was possible to record growth across the towns and cities of Ireland that constituted the Irish Urban System. The location, size, type and rates of change were recorded and mapped with a view towards discovering the extent to which the urban hierarchy and the spatial distribution was being altered, and by what geographical processes. Over 15 years the national population grew by 26% with most of that growth taking place in urban centres. A clear diffusion outwards from the Dublin region is noticeable and the capital’s role in systemic change is explored alongside other factors. The article highlights the changing nature of growth over time and, based on the empirical observations made, identifies a sequence of clear stages in the growth of the urban system. The article concludes with a proposal for a Model of Urban System Evolution under conditions of Rapid Economic Growth based on the distinct phases, or stages, of growth identified in Ireland’s towns and cities from 1996–2011.

The Glass Ceiling and Challenges Which Women Posed to Have Presences in Political Leaderships in Afghanistan

This study evaluate the challenges posed to women's participation in Afghans’ leadership, it’s like a glass ceiling that prevents their presence at the top organizational level of the national entities. The aim of this research is to recognize the mentioned challenges and propose precise solutions on those regarded. The research is conducted based on disk research method and have gone through first hand highly accredited existing national and international documentaries, and the researches which are conducted by central statistics office of Afghanistan (CSO), independent human right commission of Afghanistan, Afghanistan research and evaluation unit (AREU), integrity watch of Afghanistan and other related academic articles and journals. The study concludes that, despite the efforts made in recent years, the presence of women on different hierarchical level of entities and leaderships steps are less and symbolic, and the key factors regarding to those could be cultural and educational obstacles and as well as security challenges. On this study the researchers on first steps tried to identify the obstacles and then proposed applicable realistic suggestions based on Afghanistan’s social context.

Economy will be Modi’s personal focus

Subject Modi's post-election cabinet appointments and likely policy trajectory. Significance Following a landslide victory in the general election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week announced his new cabinet. There were new appointments at the head of the defence, foreign, home and finance ministries. Impacts The merger of the Central Statistics Office and National Sample Survey Office could further undermine trust in India’s GDP growth figures. If a crackdown on ‘illegal’ migration alienates neighbouring ally Bangladesh, Dhaka could draw closer to Delhi’s rival Beijing. Modi’s alliance will likely have a majority in the parliamentary upper house by 2021.

Gaeilge Gaming

In the 2011 census almost one in three Irish teenagers claimed to be unable to speak Irish (Central Statistics Office, Ireland, 2012), despite the language being taught daily in school. The challenges facing the Irish language in schools are complex and multifaceted. The research reported here attempts to address some of these challenges by adopting a novel approach to teaching Irish to primary school children using an online detective game. This paper details how a group of 10 year old children (n = 17) report their experience of the game, and how this compares to its proposed affordances for language learning. Overall, the children responded very positively, and identified significant motivational factors associated with the game, such as rewards, positive team interactions, challenge and active learning. Their feedback demonstrates that this use of gaming technology has the potential to support children's language learning through creating a language community where users are motivated to use Irish in a meaningful way.