It has been estimated that one in three people will become carers at some stage in their lives (Carers Northern Ireland, 2007). Taking on a caring role can significantly change people’s lives and have an impact on their financial circumstances as well as their health and well being. In 1994, the Northern Ireland Social Attitudes (NISA) survey included questions on informal caring to examine the extent and nature of this important, but often unappreciated, task. The NISA survey found considerable levels of caring, especially by female relatives aged 45- 59 years (Evason and Robinson, 1996). Informal caring continues to be a major issue due to changing demographic and policy contexts and so, to update research on this topic, questions were included in the 2006 Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) survey.