10 November 2017
Horizon Research
Media release
Who’s going on honeymoon with the new Government
Nearly twice as many New Zealanders are feeling positive than negative about the effect the new Labour-led government
will have on them personally.
A Horizon Research survey of 1,068 adults nationwide between October 24 and November 1, 2017, finds overall that
•49% say the new government will personally affect them positively in the next three years
•24% say it will affect them negatively
•28% say the affect will be neither positive nor negative.
The numbers do not vary by gender.
However, increasing age drives changes in positive and negative feelings.
65% of those aged 18-24 feel the new government will impact them positively, while among those aged 75 or older this
falls to 43%.
The group aged 65-74 years is the only one in which more feel negative than positive.
Party vote impact:
Which party people voted for in September is also strongly driving people’s outlooks.
92% of Labour voters and 91% of Green voters are feeling confident the new government will be good for them personally.
57% of New Zealand First voters feel positive, 20% negative, 24% neither positive nor negative, indicating the party’s
voters are more satisfied than dissatisfied with the decision to form a coalition with Labour, supported by the Green
party.
64% of Maori Party voters are positive, 9% negative.
However, only 13% of National and 24% of ACT voters are feeling positive. 54% of National voters are feeling negative, while a large 33% say neither positive
nor negative.
Feelings by occupation:
Confidence the new government will affect them positively is as high as 77% among labourers, agricultural and domestic
workers (12% negative), 76% among teachers, nurses, police and other trained services workers (15% negative); 60% among
students (19% negative) and 46% among professionals and senior government officials (35% negative).
Among business managers and executives 30% are positive, 57% negative. Business proprietors and self-employed have a
different outlook: 44% positive, 26% negative.
Household feelings:
Expectations of a positive three years are highest among
• extended family households (75% positive, 11% not), those
• flatting and boarding (74% v 15%);
• one parent families with one or two children at home (68% v 7%); and
• two parent families with three or more children at home (62% v 27%).
There are fewest positive feelings among
• single person households ( 33% positive, 26% negative)
• families with three or more children at home (30% v 2% - an indicative result as the number of respondents in
this category is small)
Personal incomes:
Those on highest personal incomes are least positive.
• 76% of those earning $200,000 a year or more feel the new government will have a negative effect on them (15%
think it will be positive)
• 68% of those earning between $100,001 and $150,000 are not positive, while 22% are.
However, among all other income groups more are feeling that the effect will be positive rather than negative, with
peaks of 55% among those earning between $50,001 and $70,000 a year z(26% negative) and 53% among those earning less
than $20,000 a year (18% negative).
Full tables are below and can be downloaded here.
Results are from a nationwide omnibus of 1068 adults representing the New Zealand adult population at the last census.
Weighted by age, gender, ethnicity, personal income, region and party voted for in 2017, at a 95% confidence level the
maximum margin of error is +/- 3%.