A PORTRAIT of the Irish as young boys and girls is provided in a largely positive new report into the state of the nation's children.
Energetic Irish youngsters compare favourably to their international counterparts.
In fact, they're the most physically active of 41 nationalities, leaving the particularly sedentary Russians trailing in their wake.
Irish children are generally content, with 95 per cent of nine-year-olds saying they are happy with their lives, according to the State of the Nation's Children report, compiled by the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Barry Andrews.
The study does contain a few darker findings, however. About one in four Irish children reported bullying at school, with boys as young as nine saying they suffered the most.
Many children find it difficult to talk to their parents when something is really bothering them, the report said. Interestingly, Irish boys and girls appear to be finding it easier to talk to their fathers than children did 10 years ago, while the percentage who can chat to their mothers with ease about sensitive subjects is below the international average.
Almost three-quarters of children say they eat a meal with their parents at the dinner table more than once a week, while slightly less than half say they regularly discuss how school is going with their mothers and fathers.
Meanwhile, Korean kids are the best readers, while Ireland ranks fifth in an international comparison of reading literacy levels.
Irish children are "about average" in an international comparison of ability in mathematics and science.
Irish girls are much better readers than boys, with more than half citing reading as one of their favourite hobbies, while boys do slightly better in maths. Boys and girls achieve almost identical scores in science.
Irish youngsters are also popular. They are more likely than those in other countries to have three or more friends. In 2002, the percentage who said they had three or more pals was the highest of 35 countries studied. However, Irish children had slipped to seventh place among 41 countries by 2006.
One in five of those aged 10 to 17 reported having been drunk at least once in the last 30 days, which was lower than the international average. The percentage who said they smoked cigarettes was higher than the average, although the number of children who smoke daily is decreasing.
