Mind & Matters
Understanding the hearts and minds of Kiwis.
Comparing emotions pre and post election
Our fieldwork for October covered the build up to and holding of the general election.
October saw many Kiwis remaining stressed, sad, and growing increasingly frustrated.
- Stressed: down slightly on last month (53%>51%), but remaining high
- Frustration: increased in October +4% to 48%
- Sad: increased slightly, 33% (up from 31% in September).
While all these emotions were expressed most strongly by women, the under 29s felt the most stressed and sad. Meanwhile, frustration was strongest among those aged 30-59 years and markedly lower outside these ages.
Comparing emotions pre and post election
Our fieldwork for October covered the build up to and holding of the general election. Comparing the pre and post election results, stress and sadness increased a little while frustration and anger reduced slightly. More positively, there was a slight lift in the proportion of Kiwis feeling optimistic (45% October post election).
Most Kiwis think New Zealand is heading in the wrong direction
Overall, 60% of Kiwis think New Zealand is heading in the wrong direction. However, the proportion of Kiwis who think the country is going in the right direction has increased to 40% (+5% since September). Aucklanders are the most positive with 45% indicating the country is moving in the right direction. Kiwis in the Lower North Island (Taupo south) are the most negative with two-thirds feeling things are heading the wrong way; this sentiment is strongest among Kiwis aged 30-59 years.
Looking across the ditch, while the Australian public are slightly more positive, the overall sentiment is similar; the majority in both countries feel their country is going in the wrong direction (54% Australia and 60% NZ).
Many key issues remain negative, but Kiwis are feeling positive about their personal lives
The key areas of concern were crime and punishment (83% wrong direction) and healthcare (78% wrong direction), followed by the economy (67%) and leadership/politics (65%). Closer to home, New Zealanders were more positive about their personal life (81% right direction) and mental health (72% right direction), and personal finances (60% right direction). However, the lower personal finances result compared to personal life and mental indicates Kiwis still have some concerns around their finances.
Financial pressure is showing signs of easing
Echoing the overall positive personal finances trend, October saw an increase in Kiwis who claimed they saved some of their income (54% October; +3% since September), with correspondingly fewer struggling to just cover the essentials (38%; -2% since September).
A neutral 12-month outlook
When asked how they expect the next 12 months to go for them and their family, most Kiwis expect things to stay the same (47%—stable with September) while 1 in 5 (19%) feel things will get worse, and approximately one-third (35%) expect things to improve.
NZ Barometer
