Mind & Matters
Understanding the hearts and minds of Kiwis.
Released 18 April 2024
Uptick in hope and optimism but long-term outlook remains negative
Positive emotions are starting to creep back up for New Zealanders as hope and optimism both increased by 2% since February. Alongside these positive emotions is a corresponding decline in New Zealanders feeling anxious (-2% since February).
- Hopeful: after a downward trend since December, it has now increased back to 46%.
- Stressed: peaked in December, followed by a 7% decrease in January. However, it has increased 4% since January.
- Optimistic: peaked in January, which was followed by a 6% decrease in February. However, it is creeping back up with a 2% increase in March.
- Motivated: dropped by 4% in February, followed by a slight increase in March (1%).
- Anxious: dropped by 2% in March.
When looking at the differences between males and females, females are still more likely to have experienced negative emotions than men (82% of women versus 63% of men indicated a negative in March). Similarly, those aged between 30-39 are most likely to express a negative (79% in March) and to have felt stressed and angry (59% and 30% respectively). On the other hand, those over 65 years old remain the most likely to have experienced positive emotions (77% in March) and are most likely to feel optimistic (51%).
More New Zealanders are expecting things to get worse
Looking forward to the next 12 months, most New Zealanders expect things to stay the same (47% March). However, the proportion of New Zealanders who expect things to get worse has increased by 2% since February, corresponding with a 2% decrease in those who expect things to get better.
Those aged under 40 are more likely to believe things will improve (48% in March). In contrast, those aged over 60 are the most likely to believe things will get worse (25% in March).
Wrong direction sentiment is trending up
Most New Zealanders feel the country is heading towards the wrong direction (57%), corresponding with a 3% decrease in the proportion of those who think it’s going in the right direction. Those in the North Island continue being more positive than those in the South Island (45% right direction compared to 33% South Island). This negative feeling is also still strongest among females (62% versus 48% males) and those who are single and living alone/with friends.
These findings echo recent opinion polls1 around support for the current Government, indicating the new Government honeymoon period is over and people are less positive about them now.
New Zealanders' personal financial situation remains #1 impact on NZ households
In March, the three main factors that have affected New Zealanders’ households the most remained the same, and have all increased since February:
- Your financial situation (52%) — up by 4%
- The New Zealand economy (47%) — up by 3%
- The New Zealand healthcare system (38%) — up by 2%
Kiwis are shifting from being money conscious to actively cutting back
As financial and economic conditions have grown tougher in the last year, we've seen New Zealanders become increasingly conscious of their spending. However, March saw this cautious mindset begin to shift to more direct action with a 6% increase in the proportion of New Zealanders who are cutting back on their spending. This corresponded with a 5% decrease in the proportion of those who are conscious of spending.
This may go some way to explaining why New Zealanders’ financial situation continues to be the number one factor impacting their households, followed by the NZ economy.
1. Kitchen, R. 'New pool shows drop in support for National and ACT', The Post, www.thepost.co.nz, 9 April 2024.
