Survey Confirms Dunedin a Great Place to Live

Dunedin, 22 October 2014 - Dunedin residents overwhelmingly consider their city to be a great place to live, according to the latest Quality of Life Survey.

Some 86% of Dunedin residents agreed with that statement, well up on 82% in 2012 and above the 78% across six other New Zealand cities, including Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.

Mayor of Dunedin Dave Cull says a range of results from the biennial survey showed that the vision of Dunedin becoming one of the world’s great small cities is progressively being achieved.

“In Dunedin we share a vision, and on several fronts we’re getting there – like increasing job opportunities, enabling the pursuit of physical activities, supporting a rich art and culture scene, and building a stronger sense of community and trust.

“Dunedin residents also rate the city very highly on housing affordability, travel time, safety at night, and work/life balance – things that most people would agree are major factors in lifestyle quality and decisions about where to live.

“Some areas of concern remain perceptions around alcohol and drugs, dangerous driving, and issues with bus transport – yet even on these we are taking action, with consultation on a new Local Alcohol Policy underway right now, and working with the Otago Regional Council on a new city bus hub.”

For Dunedin, highlights of the 2014 Quality of Life Survey include:

• Highest sense of community – 61% of Dunedin respondents ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ they feel a sense of community with others in their local neighbourhood, up significantly from 54% in 2012 (and above the national average of 54%).

• Highest frequency of physical activity – 57% of Dunedin respondents report physical activity five or more days a week, up significantly from 51% in 2012 (and above the national average of 46%).

• Highest agreement that housing costs are affordable – 64% of Dunedin respondents ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ that their housing costs are affordable (including expenses like rent or mortgage, rates, house insurance and house maintenance), well above the national average of 42%.

• Highest perception that travelling by car takes an acceptable amount time – 86% of Dunedin respondents perceive car travel to take an acceptable amount of time, well above the national average of 70%.

• Higher than average pride in the look and feel of the city – 67% of Dunedin respondents ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ that they feel a sense of pride in the way their city or local area looks and feels, up significantly from 59% in 2012.

• Higher than average feeling of safety after dark – 70% of Dunedin respondents feel ‘very safe’ or ‘fairly safe’ walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark, well above the national average of 57%.

• Higher than average understanding of Council decision making –39% of Dunedin respondents ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ that they understand the Council decision making process, up significantly from 30% in 2012, and well above the national average of 30%.

• Lowest concern about noise pollution – 27% of Dunedin respondents perceive noise pollution to be ‘a big problem’ or ‘a bit of a problem’ in their area, down 5% from 2012 and well below the national average of 40%.

For Dunedin, lowlights of the 2014 Quality of Life Survey include:

• Highest concern about dangerous driving – 83% of Dunedin respondents view dangerous driving, including drink driving and speeding, as ‘a big problem’ or ‘a bit of a problem’ in their area, up from 72% in 2012, and much higher than the national average of 64%.

• Highest concern about alcohol and drug problems – 81% of Dunedin respondents perceive alcohol or drugs to be ‘a big problem’ or ‘a bit of a problem’ in their area, up slightly from 80% in 2012, and much higher than the national average of 55%.

• Lowest perception that bus transport is affordable, easy to access or frequent.

The Quality of Life survey is carried out every two years in partnership with several councils throughout New Zealand. The 2014 survey was undertaken in partnership between councils in Auckland, Wellington, Porirua, Hutt City and Christchurch, and conducted by independent research company Nielsen.

The report and a national media release on the national highlights are available at: www.qualityoflifeproject.govt.nz.

ENDS

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