As the COVID-19 situation unfolds, we are regularly reaching out to Kiwis, including business owners, to understand their current headspace. We are committed to providing this information free of charge to help make a difference where we can.
Note: this page contains reports from 2020 only. See the latest 2021/Delta outbreak insights here.
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With the announcement of the re-emergence of COVID-19 in the community, Auckland was placed into an Alert Level Three lockdown while the rest of the nation moved to Alert Level Two.
Positivity holds steady
New Zealand’s emotional state remains unchanged compared to when the nation was in Alert Level One. Most Kiwis have continued to feel positive emotions throughout the week, however, over one-third have felt at least one negative emotion.
Concern rose with the new cluster, but has since settled
Concern about the virus significantly increased at the announcement of the re-emergence of the virus, compared to when the nation was at Alert Level One (July 27: 52% vs 14th August: 68%).
Economic impact remains top of mind
The resurgence of the virus and the corresponding economic impact of this are front of mind when it comes to New Zealanders’ concerns.
This is fuelled by the fact that very few New Zealanders believe Auckland will return to Alert Level Two after the two weeks in Alert Level Three (25%).
Many New Zealanders believe Auckland’s Alert Level Three will be extended
Kiwis are sceptical that this will be a short-term lockdown, with almost half of us believing that Auckland’s Alert Level Three will continue for up to four weeks.
On the flip side, almost three-quarters of New Zealanders believe the whole nation will return to Alert Level One in four weeks at most.
The majority of Kiwis approve of the government’s response
Three-quarters of New Zealanders believe the government’s response to place Auckland in Alert Level Three and the rest of the nation in Alert Level Two was the right option. The remaining quarter are split between believing the response is too strict or not strict enough.
Election date change mostly met with approval
Prior to the change in election date, there was a close margin between New Zealanders who felt the election date should be postponed to 2021 (38%) versus those who thought it should not (37%).
Since it announcement to move the election date to 17 October:
Kiwi travel plans hit a road bump
Prior to the change in alert levels, half of New Zealanders had either planned or were intending on doing some domestic travel. Currently, less than one-quarter are confident they will go ahead with their travel plans, while over one-third are waiting for the alert levels to lower.
Click on the button below to download a PDF version of our past weekly insights.
The impact of COVID-19 on the economy and trading conditions is expected to continue for the next six to twelve months. As the nation opens back up for business, our focus will shift to providing business the insights they need to get back on their feet and prepare for the year ahead.
If you're interested in getting COVID-19 insights specific to your business and/or industry, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
© 2020 Perceptive and Sapien. No part of the data contained in this report may be edited or reproduced in any way without the permission of Perceptive or Sapien. If you would like to use the information below please contact info@perceptive.co.nz
