Researchers at the Auckland-based Talbot Mills, which was commissioned by the Helen Clark Foundation to examine social cohesion in New Zealand, admit they were surprised to find it much lower there than in Australia.
The report’s co-author, economist and commentator Shamubeel Eaqub, admitted that they'd expected to find results similar to, or even a little better than, Australia’s.
But when they compared it to a recent Australian study by the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute, they found only 47 percent of New Zealanders agreed with positive statements about social cohesion, compared with 55 percent across the Tasman.
The propositions put to people included things such as “people in my local area are willing to help their neighbours” and “New Zealand is a land of economic opportunity where, in the long run, hard work brings a better life.”
In one concerning statistic, only half of the people surveyed said they felt their lives were worthwhile all or most of the time.
The strongest agreement was a sense of belonging, with more than 80 percent agreeing with this, but more than half reported feeling isolated.
At the same time, community involvement was limited, with just a third participating in social or religious groups and even fewer in civic or political organisations.
“These are important spaces where people connect, bringing together a wide range of individuals to share experiences,” Eaqub told media.
“When we look at people who belong to clubs or religious organisations, they’re much more likely to be happy, to vote, and much less likely to feel lonely.”
NZ’s Economic Woes Weighing Heavily
It was New Zealand’s weak economy—barely out of a recession and still struggling—where the disparity was most obvious. Just a third of New Zealanders feel comfortable financially, compared with 60 percent of Australians.Pessimism was worse amongst younger people, where the satisfaction rating dropped to just a quarter.
While 13 percent of Australians reported sometimes going without a meal, food poverty affected a quarter of all New Zealanders, a statistic Eaqub described to media as “shameful.”
New Zealanders also rated themselves as less happy, with just 55 percent having a positive outlook as opposed to 78 percent of Australians—and with 16 percent describing themselves as unhappy or very unhappy.
Trust in major institutions has also severely eroded in recent years.
A majority of the “team of five million” who complied with tough lockdown restrictions during COVID-19 with little complaint, trusting in then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, no longer believe the government acts in their best interests, with just 42 percent holding that view.
Court decisions were viewed with similar levels of scepticism.
Eaquab told the media that the degree of division on major issues was increasingly determined by ideology and political partisanship.
A significant majority of respondents—particularly Māori and Pacific Islanders—wanted systemic change. While most still supported democracy, younger people were more open to alternatives, such as leadership by experts.
Perhaps equally surprising is that New Zealanders—generally perceived as more laid-back and welcoming—have significantly more conservative views than Australians on immigration. Just over half the survey respondents thought immigrants are good for the economy, whereas, in the Australian study, that rate was over 80 percent.
And while two-thirds of New Zealanders think multiculturalism is good for the country, in Australia that figure is over 85 percent—which Eaquab called “a stark difference.”
