Unable to cut back/essential
- Rent – 90%
- Council rates – 89%
- Mortgage – 86%
- Vehicle insurance – 69%
- House and/or contents insurance – 69%
Insights designed to help you better understand public sentiment, from macro trends to behaviours and attitudes towards key interest areas.
October saw a further increase in the proportion of New Zealanders who believe things won’t change for them in the next 12 months.
Find out moreNegative sentiment around NZ's direction strongest among younger generations and in the South Island.
Find out moreA third of New Zealanders (33%) are saving little or nothing after purchasing essentials.
Find our moreFind out the top three categories New Zealand households would cut back on first.
Find out moreDownload collated versions of our findings as well as our latest Talking Points focussing on our financial wellbeing.
Find out moreWith the end of the year approaching, New Zealanders are feeling more motivated. October saw a significant increase in the proportion of New Zealanders feeling motivated (+12 pp), while the rest of the emotions remained relatively stable. Optimism and motivation lead the way in October, and New Zealanders may be heading into the end of the year with a positive outlook.
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Over the past couple of months, men have been feeling more anxious and stressed, with both emotions rising since August (+16pp and + 14pp respectively). Positively though, motivation emerged as the top-ranked emotion among men in October (54%), albeit down on last month.
In contrast, women have been feeling increasingly optimistic, with a clear positive trend across the year and a new high of 50% in October. October also showed a corresponding decline in both anxious and stressed, with stress dropping below men for the first time this year.
Over the past couple of months, men have been feeling more anxious and stressed, with both emotions rising since August (+16pp and + 14pp respectively). Positively though, motivation emerged as the top-ranked emotion among men in October (54%), albeit down on last month.
|
Top two emotions for younger generations (under 34 years) |
Top two emotions for older generations (65+ years) |
1. |
Stressed 65% (+2%)* |
Optimistic 60% (+16%)* |
2. |
Anxious 63% (+3%)* |
Hopeful 57% (+18%)* |
*Shift from September to October.
October saw a further increase in the proportion of New Zealanders who believe things won’t change for them in the next 12 months, increasing +13pp since August and reaching a new high for the year. This sentiment was mainly driven by men and older generations aged 65 and over (63%).
In contrast to this growth, the proportion of New Zealanders who expect things to get worse has fallen to its lowest level since April, while those expecting things to get better has also fallen back.
Taking a deeper look into the reasoning behind New Zealanders’ 12-month outlook, these were the top themes that emerged from those with a positive outlook:
The dominant theme is optimism and a hopeful outlook for the future. Many comments focus on the belief that things can improve with time, effort, or positive thinking. These New Zealanders are focused on staying positive despite challenges and believing that good things will come, whether in terms of finances, health, or family life.
Many comments also focus on career changes, job opportunities, and financial improvements. Positively, some New Zealanders are looking forward to salary increases, promotions, new job opportunities, or side hustles that will improve their financial situation. Some mention that their business is growing while others express hope for more income or financial stability.
Many New Zealanders are looking forward to spending time with loved ones, especially over the holidays or at family gatherings like Christmas. Others are working on personal development, health improvements, or building stronger family relationships. Some also mention welcoming new children or strengthening their family dynamics.
The proportion of New Zealanders who feel the country is heading in the wrong direction remains at or around 60%—as it has since June. This negative sentiment is particularly strong among younger generations, with 66% of those under 35 sharing this view, compared to 52% of those aged 65 and older. Regionally, the South Islanders also stand out, with 65% of them expressing this concern, compared to 58% in the North Island.
The 60% of New Zealanders who feel the country is headed in the wrong direction continue to blame the current government and its leadership. Notable increases were seen in October regarding concerns over New Zealand's poor health and education systems with these issues rising by 6 and 5 percentage points, respectively. On a more positive note, there was a decline in the proportion of people attributing the country’s ‘wrong direction’ to the cost of living and the economy (-9pp).
The 60% of New Zealanders who feel the country is headed in the wrong direction continue to blame the current government and its leadership. Notable increases were seen in October regarding concerns over New Zealand's poor health and education systems with these issues rising by 6 and 5 percentage points, respectively. On a more positive note, there was a decline in the proportion of people attributing the country’s ‘wrong direction’ to the cost of living and the economy (-9pp).
In contrast, the proportion of New Zealanders who feel the country is heading in the right direction continues to trend downwards. October saw 40% of New Zealanders believing the country is heading in the right direction, with sentiment driven by the current government. This feeling is particularly strong among those aged 65 and over, with 74% attributing their positive outlook to the government.
The most common practices for supporting the wellbeing and work-life balance of full-time workers continue to be flexible working hours and the option to work from home. Interestingly, in October, there was a significant rise in the number of full-time workers who have the ability to work remotely (+13pp since September).
Despite concerns around the direction of the country, October saw a positive shift in New Zealanders' financial situation. More New Zealanders are finding themselves able to save to achieve their future goals/wealth (+7pp since September). This shift is also mirrored by a decrease in the proportion of New Zealanders who have little or nothing to save, as well as those who are only saving for emergencies or a safety net (both dropping by 4 percentage points since September).
Here are the key spending categories New Zealanders consider essential and are unable to reduce, along with the top categories they would cut back on first for the month of October.
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Find out moreMind & Matters is designed to help business and leaders better understand public sentiment. From macro trends to behaviours and attitudes towards key interest areas, such as such as job security, personal finance, mental health, the environment and more, Mind & Matters is your comprehensive check-in on the state-of-mind of the New Zealand public.
In April 2020, in the midst of a pandemic lockdown, Perceptive and Sapien built the first Covid-19 Tracker to help businesses and leaders better understand the hearts and minds of Kiwis as we experienced this unprecedented event.
Fast forward to 2023 and the world—and New Zealand—continues to experience change on multiple fronts, from rising inflation to the rise of eCommerce and generative AI. With this in mind, Perceptive and Sapien have taken the best of our Covid-19 tracker produce this comprehensive tracker that explores what Kiwis think, feel and believe in relation to some of the most topical and challenging issues of today.