A new study commissioned by the Helen Clark Foundation shows that Australians are more positive about various social cohesion measures than New Zealanders.
Researchers at Auckland-based Talbot Mills, commissioned by the Helen Clark Foundation to examine social cohesion in New Zealand, admit that they were surprised that it was much lower than Australia.
Economist and commentator Siambiel Eaek, co-author of the report, admitted that he hopes to find similar or slightly better results than Australian results.
However, only 47% of New Zealanders found that when compared to a recent Australian study by the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute, compared to 55% of all Tasman, only 47% of New Zealanders agreed to a positive statement about social cohesion.
Propositions placed on people included such as “people in my area are willing to help their neighbors” and “New Zealand is a place where efforts can bring about better lives in the long run.”
One thing about statistics is that only half of those surveyed said they felt their lives were all or mostly valuable.
The strongest agreement is a sense of belonging, with over 80% agreeing to this, while over half report feeling isolated.
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At the same time, community involvement is limited, with a third participating in social or religious organizations, even less among citizens and political organizations.
“These are important spaces where people connect and bring together a wide range of individuals to share their experiences,” Eaqub told the media.
“When you look at people who belong to clubs and religious organizations, they are happy, more likely to vote and much less likely to feel alone.”
Economic issues in NZ are getting heavy
It was New Zealand’s economy weakness, where disparities were most obvious, and it had not struggled yet in the recession. A third of New Zealanders feel financially more comfortable compared to 60% of Australians.
Pessimism has worsened among young people whose satisfaction ratings fell by just a quarter.
Though 13% of Australians reported going occasionally without food, food poverty affected a quarter of all New Zealanders.
New Zealanders also rated that only 55% have a positive outlook, compared to 78% of Australians, while 16% describe them as unhappy or extremely unhappy.
Trust in major institutions has also been severely eroding in recent years.
The majority of the “5 million teams” who were complying with tough lockdown restrictions during Covid-19 did not trust then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, but they no longer believe that the government would act in its best interests.
The court’s decision was seen with a similar level of skepticism.
Eaquab told the media that the extent of the division of major issues is increasingly determined by ideology and political party.
The majority of respondents, particularly Maori and Pacific islanders, promoted systemic change. While most people still supported democracy, younger people were more open to alternatives, such as expert leadership.
Perhaps equally surprising is that New Zealanders, while generally perceived as a more relaxed welcome, have a much more conservative view of immigration than Australians. More than half of survey respondents thought immigration was good for the economy, but the rate was above 80% in the Australian survey.
And two-thirds of New Zealanders think multiculturalism is good for the country, but in Australia that figure is above 85%.
