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Research Results

80% want imported animal products to meet NZ welfare standards

2 Oct 24 – Poll findings are showing confusion among New Zealanders about whether imported animal products sold must meet the same welfare standards as local products. A new poll, with video, released today (2...
83% say animal welfare standards should apply to imported food

13 Sep 24 – Animal Policy International has released results of Horizon polling on whether or not imported food products should respect the animal welfare standards applying in New Zealand. Animal Policy International says: People in New Zealand put significant...
68% say make banks offer fraud protection

14 Apr 24 – 68% (2,785,000 adults) believe the government should regulate to make sure banks offer fraud and cybercrime protection to customers. These are among findings of a new study, conducted in the public interest by Horizon Research, on bank fraud and...
Kiwis tell government what to focus on

15 Mar 24 – Kiwis are telling the government to focus most on improving health, rising food prices and affordable housing. Horizon Research presented a list of 42 issues and asked respondents which were the most important for the current government to take action on in 2024. ...
New research: how long we want to live

19 Feb 24 – Overall, New Zealanders want to live for longer than they expect to. Horizon Research asked people 18+ nationwide, if they passed the age of 65, or already have, to what age they think they will live. 18% (718,000...
Kiwis: Ban high seas bottom trawling, put cameras on all vessels

19 Feb 24 – Overall, there is strong support to prioritise the ban on bottom trawling in South Pacific International waters: 73% (2,947,000 adults) say it should be banned. Only 7% (272,000 adults) believe commercial bottom trawling...
70%: decide on an equal footing how Te Tiriti is honoured

22 Nov 23 – 70% of New Zealanders believe it is important for Māori and non-Māori to decide together on an equal footing how te Tiriti o Waitangi is honoured. This is one of the crucial findings for Aotearoa of a Horizon Research survey conducted for...
13% of 55 to 64 year-olds unsure how they'll fund retirement

25 Oct 23 – Thirteen per cent of people aged 55 to 64 don’t know how they will fund their retirement, according to a Horizon Research survey of 1,600 Kiwis for ANZ Investments. It comes as a large number of those 65 and over continue to contribute to their KiwiSaver...
Fisheries policy having 100% influence on 194,000 party votes

27 Sep 23 – Policies which help conserve ocean fisheries will be a top priority for many people casting their votes in the October general election. A nationwide ...
95% of Kiwis say the ocean is important to them

11 Sep 23 – The ocean is important to us, we’re concerned about ocean health and losing marine life, and most of us want greater ocean protection. These are clear messages coming from fresh, independent research representing the voice of all adult...
Large majority support gun registry

8 Aug 23 – A large and broad-based majority of New Zealanders support a gun registry, according to survey research by Horizon, released by Gun Control NZ. 71% of adults in New Zealand support the gun registry with only 14% opposed....
80% say imports should respect NZ animal welfare standards

20 Jul 23 – 83% of Kiwis agree that imported products from outside New Zealand should respect the same animal welfare standards as those applied in New Zealand, according to a new poll released by non-profit organisation Animal Policy International. Results were...
Market fall leaves younger people more likely to invest in KiwiSaver

27 Jun 23 – Research into Gen Z’s investment habits shows the younger generation has made a good start to their KiwiSaver contributions, but ongoing education is needed around investing for the long term. The Horizon Research survey of 1,632 respondents for ANZ Investments...
73% want war wreck inspected for oil pollution risk

26 Jun 23 – 73% of New Zealanders want the potential risks of a major oil spill from a shipwreck in the Hauraki Gulf to be investigated. A Horizon Researhc survey for the Hauraki Gulf Forum finds: 73% think the wreck should be...
7% say don’t compensate disaster victims who must move

25 May 23 – New Zealanders think insurance companies and local and central government should help compensate home owners whose homes or areas can no longer be lived in because natural disasters will occur there again. A special Horizon Research surveys finds 64% of...
Trust in news slips further

5 Apr 23 – General trust in New Zealand's news and news brands is continuing to erode. The AUT research centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy (JMAD) has published its fourth Trust in News in Aotearoa New Zealand report, authored by Dr Merja Myllylahti and Dr Greg Treadwell. The...
Growing support to reduce fertiliser use, cow numbers

27 Jan 23 – New polling shows growing public support for calls to cut fertiliser, regulate the dairy industry to protect water and, while not yet a majority, lower dairy cow numbers. The poll results have been released by Greenpeace, from a nationally representative Horizon Research...
Top 10 issues Kiwis most want new PM to focus on

21 Jan 23 – New Zealanders are clear on the issues they most want the country’s new Prime Minister to focus on. A nationwide Horizon Research survey reveals the top 10 issues they most want addressed are: Cost of living 72% Health 61%...
80% support half-price public transport fares

8 Dec 22 – 80% of New Zealander adults support extending half-priced public transport fares. And 66% support the government making public transport free for all users, according to the results of a new Horizon Research poll, conducted for ...
HorizonPoll: NZ First support over 5%, could determine who governs

31 Oct 22 – The latest political poll by Horizon Research finds New Zealand First with 6.75% support – and in a position to decide which parties would form a government. This result would deliver the party 9 seats in a 120-seat Parliament. ...
79,000 Kiwis worry higher interest rates may force dwelling sale

18 Aug 22 – A Horizon poll finds 2% of the country’s adults think they will “definitely” have to sell a dwelling in the coming year because of higher interest rates. This equates to around 79,000 adults living in an estimated 37,788 home...
Life not looking so bright for Kiwis

9 Aug 22 – Four out of ten New Zealanders think the financial position of their households is worse than a year ago. 17% think it is better than a year ago. 37% think it’s about the same, according to the latest economic and political support polling...
72% of Māori believe there is racism in NZ Police

5 Jul 22 – A large majority of Māori believe there is racism in the NZ Police force of some kind. However, more than eight out of ten Māori value the work police do. And seven out of ten who have been victims of crime rate...
Alarming fall in trust in news

12 Apr 22 – A new survey finds New Zealanders' trust in news has fallen, with steep declines for Māori TV, TVNZ and RNZ. The AUT research centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy (JMAD) commissioned Horizon Research to conduct the survey. A report on its...
Māori support for Labour falls, Ardern preferred PM

15 Mar 22 – An exclusive HorizonPoll of Māori for The Hui television programme finds party vote support for Labour has gone soft, Jacinda Ardern is preferred Prime Minister and the cost of living is the top issue likely to influence party choice next year. Key findings from the...
64% support COVID-19 mandates policy

18 Feb 22 – New Zealanders have strongly held views about the current protest at Parliament – and policies which mandate vaccination for some occupations and places. The Government’s vaccine mandate policy has 64% support, according to a snap poll...
Majority don't want to wait for 90% of Māori to get vaccine

13 Dec 21 – A majority of New Zealanders do not want the movement of all people restricted until 90% of Māori aged 12+ have been vaccinated against COVID-19. A nationwide Horizon Research survey of 1,023 adults between November 30 and December 6, 2021, found 59%...
What's holding the unvaccinated back

9 Dec 21 – The Ministry of Health has released the full Horizon Research October 28-November 9, 2021,survey results on New Zealanders' attitudes to COVID-19 vaccines. At the time of the survey in October 2021, 90% of the population 16+ had been vaccinated with at least one dose....
Huge support for protecting and restoring the Hauraki Gulf

19 Nov 21 – A ground breaking new poll shows overwhelming public support for measures to protect and restore the Hauraki Gulf, Tīkapa Moana, Te Moananui-ā-Toi. The poll of 1020 respondents was conducted by Horizon Research from 27 September to 17 October 2021. ...
Kiwis split on clean car policy - but big market shift possible

8 Aug 21 – The Government’s clean car scheme, which took effect on 1 July, has split support from Kiwis. Regardless, enough drivers seem motivated by the cash rebates on offer to significantly change New Zealand’s new and used vehicle markets. Horizon Research has...
38% underestimating sea level rise

14 Jul 21 – Many New Zealanders (38.2%) underestimate current and projected sea-level rise. A Horizon Research survey of a representative sample of 1100 New Zealanders aged 18 and over, conducted for the SeaRise project at Victoria...
New Zealanders' trust in the news erodes

30 Apr 21 – New Zealanders’ trust in the news has eroded during the past year. The AUT research centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy (JMAD) has published its second Trust in News in New Zealand report which examines New Zealand citizens’ trust in news, news brands,...
Strong link discovered between hearing loss and loneliness

18 Mar 21 – Researchers have discovered a strong association of hearing loss with loneliness. The high prevalence of prolonged loneliness is a problem both within New Zealand and around the world. Loneliness New Zealand is committed to not only highlighting this problem but also...
65% of Māori adults likely to take COVID-19 vaccine

10 Mar 21 – A special Horizon survey for the television programme The Hui finds 65% of Māori adults are definitely or likely to take a COVID-19 vaccine. A March 8 panel discussion on The Hui, led by presener Mihingarangi Forbes, developed further insights. The...
New Zealanders have their hopes up for 2021

3 Jan 21 – More than a million New Zealanders think their lives will be better in the coming year. New research finds 31% of adults (around 1,114,500 people) think their lives will be better. 19% (around 665,000 people) think their lives...
The “oh so close” cannabis and end of life choice results

10 Nov 20 – Horizon’s polling in August and September, 2020, found the majorities for legalising and controlling personal use of cannabis could vary between 67,900 against and 139,300 for. The final result was a majority of 67,662...
Cannabis control vote on a tightrope

7 Oct 20 – With early voting now open, the latest independent Horizon survey of nearly 1,500 Kiwis shows the referendum on legalising the personal use of cannabis is incredibly tight when respondents are forced to take a yes or no position. When asked to make a choice between...
Stark differences between how Ardern and Collins make people feel

12 Sep 20 – One poll question might indicate who wins the general election. It is about how leaders are making New Zealanders feel. It is well proven in the United States that perceived positive traits influence voters’ choice of leaders. ...
The Swedish way on COVID-19? No thanks

28 Aug 20 – New Zealanders overwhelmingly want to stay with the current policy to try eliminating community transmission of COVID-19. They do not want less restrictive policies. A new nationwide Horizon Research finds: 76...
Second COVID-19 wave and lockdowns reduce trust in Government by 3%

27 Aug 20 – Overall trust and confidence in the Ministry of Health and Government’s response to managing COVID-19 has fallen 3% following the second wave of infection and lockdowns. Overall trust was 82% in mid-July 2020. It is 79% in late August...
Overall, 82% trust pandemic’s management – down from 91%

7 Aug 20 – New Zealanders’ overall trust in the Ministry of Health and Government to manage the COVID-19 pandemic is at 82%, down from 91% during April. Overall distrust that the Ministry and Government will manage it in...
More are feeling lonely after COVID-19 lock down than before

31 Jul 20 – More people are feeling lonely after the COVID-19 lockdown than before it. The incidence of prolonged loneliness in New Zealand has increased from 3.5% of the New Zealand adult population before lockdown to about 10.6% during lockdown, before slightly falling to 8.7%...
Large majorities think Ardern best to manage pandemic, economy

20 Jun 20 – Jacinda Ardern is seen by large majorities of New Zealanders as the best parliamentary party leader to manage both the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recovery from it. She is favoured by 66% of adult New...
New Zealanders’ main priority: getting back to work

14 May 20 – New Zealanders overwhelmingly want economic stimulus measures which get people back to work. A Horizon Research survey of policies to stimulate the economy finds 79% support “getting people back to work”. ...
73% want unrushed and considered move to Level 2

3 May 20 – New Zealanders want an evidence-based and unrushed decision on the move to COVID-19 Alert Level 2. A nationwide Horizon Research survey during the first three days at Level 3 finds a nett 73% of adults think both “we shouldn’t rush into...
73% say use my mobile data for COVID-19 tracking

26 Apr 20 – Seven out of 10 adults will support police and health authorities using their personal mobile data to help track and trace those who have been in contact with COVID-19. A Horizon research nationwide survey finds 62% of adults “generally”...
Trust in news - but concern over poor journalism

23 Apr 20 – A majority of New Zealanders trust the news they are personally using. However, they are strongly concerned over some aspects of poor journalism and 86% are concerned over the use of the term "fake news" to discredit news sources. The Tuust in news...
56% of adults – including a million workers – want to stay in isolation

22 Apr 20 – Most adults will – or would like to – stay in isolation after Alert Level 4 restrictions are lifted. 56% of adults say they will definitely or most likely stay isolated. Those definitely or most likely to stay isolated...
Who supports and trusts the COVID-19 policy

20 Apr 20 – Confidence lockdown will work: 72% of New Zealand adults are confident that COVID-19 can be contained, and widespread community transmission prevented. They were asked in an April 7-12, 2020, HorizonPoll to rate their confidence on a 0 to...
Cannabis referendum vote: lead builds for reform

31 Mar 20 – An independent Horizon Research survey of nearly 2,000 New Zealanders reveals 83% don’t believe the prohibition of personal cannabis use is working, and 72% say having controls for growing and selling cannabis for personal use would be better for society. The large...
Ardern making more New Zealanders feel positive than Bridges

5 Feb 20 – Prime Minister and Labour leader Jacinda Ardern is making New Zealanders feel far more...
How Kiwis gamble with life through under insurance

27 Jan 20 – New research commissioned by the Financial Services Council (FSC) has revealed the high number of New Zealanders that are underinsured when it comes to their lives, incomes or suffering a major illness. The third and final part in the FSC’s research series on New...
Large majority will currently vote to enact End of Life Choice Act

4 Jan 20 – Currently 70% of New Zealanders think they will cast a referendum vote in favour of the End of Life Choice Act becoming law. 30% will vote No to it becoming law, according to the first nationwide poll of eligible voters on referendum...
Support switches to favour legal personal cannabis use

1 Dec 19 – Support for legalising personal cannabis use has risen by 9% in the past quarter, according to the country’s only 12-month tracking survey on how New Zealanders would vote in the Government's binding referendum next year. The large November survey...
Just 1% think bottom trawling should continue

1 Nov 19 – Just 1% of New Zealanders think bottom trawling of the country's inshore fisheries should be allowed to continue. But while some 58% of adults thinking bottom trawling is not allowed inshore - it is. When told it is allowed, 57%...
70% want bigger cuts in tarakihi quota

17 Oct 19 – Seventy percent of New Zealanders want the commercial fishing quota for tarakihi cut dramatically to help the country’s fish and chips favourite to recover, a new survey has revealed. The survey conducted by Horizon Research for...
Vote for personal cannabis use reform falls to 39%

22 Aug 19 – The prospect of ending wider cannabis prohibition looks increasingly unlikely. Over the last nine months, the percentage of New Zealanders who would vote for legalising the personal use of cannabis has declined at a near linear rate of around 10% per quarter. Support is now well below a...
Specialist sign-off for cannabis would strain health sector

2 Aug 19 – An independent survey of over 700 healthcare professionals reveals genuine concern that New Zealand’s health sector would struggle to cope if ‘specialist sign-off’ is required before a GP can prescribe medicinal cannabis. Public consultation closes in...
Kiwis are risking everything

19 Jun 19 – New research commissioned by the Financial Services Council (FSC) has revealed many New Zealanders are taking a high stakes gamble on managing risk.The research ‘Risking Everything’, carried out by Horizon Research, looked at New Zealanders' attitudes to financial risk...
Potential market for medicinal cannabis: 1 million adults

20 May 19 – Over 400,000 New Zealanders say they would definitely seek out medicinal cannabis products when they become widely available from 2020, according to a first of its kind survey by Horizon Research. Gearing up to meet such significant demand, the country’s largest...
74% say yes to end of life choice law

10 May 19 – As Parliament prepares to vote on the End of Life Choice Bill this month, a new poll shows a clear majority of New Zealanders want to allow doctors to help the terminally ill, enduring unbearable suffering, to die. A Horizon Research poll confirms consistent surveys...
Public concern over climate change hits new high

9 May 19 – The number of New Zealanders who think climate change is an urgent issue facing the country has reached its highest level in 13 years of poll tracking. Horizon Research says 43% of adults now regard the issue as “urgent”, up from 8...
44% for capital gains tax, 35% against overall

28 Mar 19 – 44% of new Zealand adults support introducing a capital gains tax. 35% oppose. A Horizon Research February 28-March 15, 2019 nationwide poll finds 16% are neutral on a new tax, while 6% do not know. ...
75% of Maori will vote to legalise personal use of cannabis

4 Mar 19 – TV3 programme, The Hui, has revealed the results of a special Horizon Research poll of 620 Māori, providing interesting insights into Māori attitudes towards cannabis. Seventy-five percent of Māori participating in the survey said...
60% indicate they'll vote to legalise personal cannabis use

14 Jan 19 – An independent survey of nearly 1,000 New Zealanders reveals the Government's 2020 referendum on recreational cannabis use would gain 60% support. New Zealand's largest licensed medicinal cannabis company, Helius Therapeutics, has released the result after commissioning...
Poll says treat medicinal cannabis like other medicines

10 Dec 18 – A new survey of more than 2,000 Kiwi adults finds they overwhelmingly want doctors and nurse practitioners to be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis as they see fit, on a patient by patient basis, and for it to be treated like any other medicine in New Zealand. However,...
68% want binding referendum on medical aid in dying

3 Oct 18 – New Zealanders want a binding referendum on proposed End of Life Choice law. A HorizonPoll finds 68% say yes to having a binding referendum, 33% say no. The result overwhelmingly supports a New Zealand First proposal...
Electricity prices “too high” – 163,000+ will look for better deals

29 Aug 18 – Two out of three New Zealand households think the prices they are paying for electricity are too high. A total of 66% say the prices are too high (23% say it is “very high” and 43% “high”). And up to ...
Pledging solar subsidies could be a vote winner

27 Aug 18 – Government subsidies for residential solar power appeals most to New Zealanders as a way of reducing global warming. Some 71% of adults say this is the best way of tackling climate change. A policy, like one just ...
House prices $300,000 above what New Zealanders think is affordable

12 Jul 18 – On average New Zealanders think an affordable home price would be $375,200. This is $300,480 below Quotable Value’s national average house price, for the three months ending June 30, 2018. A Horizon Research nationwide survey finds ...
Pity the landlords: 60% suffer rent non-payments

4 Jul 18 – Six out of 10 landlords have had tenants not pay rent at some time. A Horizon Research survey finds only 40% say they have never had the problem. 1% say they have had a tenant failed to pay rent once a year or more. That's rent...
72% support banning letting fees

2 Jul 18 – An overwhelming majority of New Zealanders support a Government proposal to stop agents from charging letting fees for residential properties. 72% support the idea. Just 7% overall oppose, a Horizon Research survey finds. ...
Support for helping first home buyers with deposits

18 Jun 18 – More New Zealanders support than oppose the idea of a shared equity scheme to help people buy their first homes. 41% would support a scheme under which the Government and others might put money in as a deposit for first home buyers who are...
Ski areas hot amid overall property shortage

5 Jun 18 – There are many more buyers than sellers intending to be active in the New Zealand property market in the next 12 months. This was a major finding in research released today by realestate.co.nz, the country’s largest property listing site with the most residential...
Climate concern levels growing again

26 Apr 18 – Concern that climate change is an urgent problem or one to be managed now is at its highest level in six years. 64% of adults nationwide believe climate change is a problem, 29% of them saying it is urgent. 30% say it is a problem for later or not a problem,...
Property demand will greatly exceed supply in 2018

26 Feb 18 – Demand for homes is projected to be three and half times greater than supply in the next 12 months. The gap between those who say are will “definitely...
Where the money's coming from in retirement

6 Dec 17 – Those over 65 and retired are relying strongly on the New Zealand Superannuation pension income (86%). Research by Horizon for the Financial Services Council, finds...
Most will be living on pension alone 10 years after retiring

6 Dec 17 – For most retirees, savings and income from assets lasts for less than 10 years after retirement, reducing most to living off the New Zealand Superannuation pension alone. With the average person expecting to be retired for 20+ years, New Zealand retirees expect to live the...
Who’s going on honeymoon with the new Government

9 Nov 17 – Nearly twice as many New Zealanders are feeling positive rather 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 ...
77% of younger adults streaming movies online

3 Oct 17 – 77% of the country’s 18-24 year-olds have viewed a movie online in the past month. A Horizon Research survey of content younger New Zealanders have viewed by streaming online, either to a...
National best party, Ardern best leader

21 Sep 17 – The National Party is seen as the best party for their future by 36% of adult New Zealanders, marginally ahead of Labour, on 35%, according to a Horizon Research poll. When asked “which party leader do you think will...
Labour best to manage most issues, but not the economy overall

19 Sep 17 – Definite voters think Labour is best to manage 10 of 17 major issues. A Horizon poll finds Labour is seen as better to manage health, housing, immigration,...
Main parties in dead heat

16 Sep 17 – National and Labour are almost dead even in the latest Horizon party vote poll. Among those who are registered, have made up their minds and will definitely vote, National has 38.5% support. Labour has 38.2%. ...
Ardern drives vote switch: nett 10% leave National for Labour

30 Aug 17 – Labour’s leadership change has potentially shifted 11% of the 2014 National Party vote to Labour, while 2% of Labour's 2014 voters are switching to National. The choice of...
2.8 m adults reading books, 394,000 not

29 Jul 17 – A new survey into New Zealanders’ reading habits confirms not only are we a nation that loves to read – we devour an average of 20.6 books a year – but also a nation that loves to read our own stories. Overall, 88% of adults, equivalent...
DIR could stop 39% of Aucklanders buying a dwelling

6 Jul 17 – 39% of Aucklanders think they will not be able to buy homes if the Government gives the Reserve Bank a new power and home lending is limited to five times household income. Horizon Research finds the preferred debt to income ratio (DIR) of five favoured by the bank in a...
Oops, we bought a house ...

13 Jun 17 – They weren’t intending to buy – but saw a property and did. New research for Property Press finds 14% of adults say this has happened to them. It happened to 16 out of every 100 who bought a property to live in during the past year. ...
Property media readership - newspapers beaten

31 May 17 – Latest research finds readership of newspaper property sections trailing the specialist magazine Property Press. Property Press is being read by 1,296,500 New Zealanders each month. This puts the magazine ahead of daily and local newspapers' print...
Supply-demand gap of 48,000 dwellings for 2017

11 May 17 – The number of people nationwide saying they will “definitely” buy or sell a residential property in the next 12 months has decreased. Horizon Research has been tracking definite buying and selling intentions for ...
Trust in charities "moderate" but higher than banks

19 Apr 17 – Charities in New Zealand score a moderate trust rating of 5.9 out of 10. The result is in the 2016 Public Trust and Confidence in Charities survey, conducted for Charities Services by Horizon Research. Trust is slightly down from...
Winston's choice: 77% of his voters prefer Labour-led Government

2 Apr 17 – More would prefer Labour to lead than National if a colaition government is needed later this year. In 2014,...
Disbelief, disagreement greet major media merger plan

20 Feb 17 – Nearly three times as many New Zealanders oppose the proposed merger of the country’s two largest media companies than support it. ...
Community reputation's big impact on business

22 Nov 16 – Being perceived as community friendly can have a huge impact on who New Zealanders decide to buy from. New research finds 74% of...
Fly Buys rated best loyalty scheme

4 Oct 16 – Consumers rate Fly Buys as the country’s best loyalty scheme. ...
Goff 27% ahead of nearest Mayoral rival

14 Sep 16 – Surveying of eligible voters within Auckland City finds Phil Goff has 38% support, 27% ahead of his nearest rival Vic Crone on 11%. ...
Text offers have highest satisfaction rate

25 Aug 16 – 82% of New Zealanders receive personalised offers/promotions direct from retailers via email. The second...
438,000+ posting their news comments

14 Jul 16 – Nearly 14 in every 100 New Zealand adults has posted comments on stories on news media web sites. A July 7-14 HorizonPoll result comes at a time when Radio New Zealand has announced it is ...
What New Zealanders think of their print media

4 Apr 16 – Only 9% of adults find the newspapers and magazines they use totally credible: there is a nett credibility gap overall of -16%. Only 36% feel their newspapers and magazines are doing as well as they possibly can, and there is a large number planning to stop buying them...
Terrorist attack: 14% of adults fear personal, family harm

19 Jan 16 – Most New Zealanders generally feel a terrorist attack in the country is not likely. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is extremely likely and 10 extremely unlikely, the average rating is 5.1 – effectively neither likely nor unlikely. However,...
Most accurate flag poll

16 Dec 15 – Horizon Research had the most accurate poll results on the alternative New Zealand flag: just 0.17% out. Final results from the Electoral Commission released on December 15,...
Close voting result likely between the colourful silver fern flags

8 Dec 15 – Voting in the referendum to choose an alternative New Zealand flag is likely to narrowly favour the design featuring the Silver Fern with Black, White and Blue. It wins marginally over the Silver Fern with Red,...
The big home supply and demand gap

4 Dec 15 – The number of people definitely looking to buy a residential...
How long can you stay afloat if you become seriously ill?

18 Nov 15 – Polling shows around half (47%) of employed 18-64 year olds can’t survive for more than a month after using up their sickness and annual leave if they fall seriously ill and can’t work. The Horizon Research survey for the...
The big and growing trend: working from home

13 Nov 15 – The number of New Zealand adults working fulltime from home or remotely from their organisations has doubled in the past 9 years. A Horizon Research survey finds 30% of New Zealand adult employees are now working full or part time from home or other remote locations. ...
420,000 adults providing unpaid care for elderly

1 Oct 15 – More than 420,000 adults are providing unpaid care to someone aged over 65. These are the findings of a pathfinding survey by Horizon Research, conducted for the Financial Services Council. The equivalent of 427,500 New Zealanders (13% of the...
Public support for healthy food in schools

8 Sep 15 – Strong public support for the Government to take a lead on healthy food in schools and childcare services is revealed in a recent poll. Results showed 78 percent are in favour of the government requiring schools and childcare services...
Curbs favoured on marketing unhealthy food to children

20 Jul 15 – A HorizonPoll finds a large majority of New Zealand adults support government action on restricting unhealthy food marketing to children. The poll carried out in June this year, showed a majority of 73 percent in favour of Government action on restrictions. ...
Global Mode’s demise immediately impacts nearly 170,000

25 Jun 15 – About 169,500 New Zealand adults will be directly affected by the pending shutdown of Global Mode services which give people access to overseas media content. Sky TV, TVNZ, MediaWorks and Lightbox...
Potential new $7.27 billion P2P lending market

1 Apr 15 – HorizonPoll surveys capturing more than 4,300 responses from adults nationwide reveal the huge potential for the country’s new peer-to-peer (P2P) lending and crowd equity funding markets. P2P and crowd equity funding services, newly authorised services matching...
Nearly 30,000 more want to buy homes than want to sell

19 Dec 14 – Any Reserve Bank relaxing of rules allowing banks to lend to more people with less than 20% deposits for homes would increase the number of “definite buyers” in the market from 5.9% to 7.3%. Some 5.9% of adult New Zealanders say they are...
Adult smartphone ownership will hit 79% within year

14 Nov 14 – Around 79% of all adults in New Zealand will have a smartphone by September next year. A Horizon Research survey finds 69% of people aged 18+ now have smartphones. Another 10.4% say they intend to...
Dirty Politics voting impact

3 Oct 14 – National may have suffered the loss of support over the dirty politics issue which was forecast in an August 18-25 HorizonPoll of 1,752 adults nationwide. The poll, conducted during in first 12 days of...
Significant fallout from Dirty Politics allegations

28 Aug 14 – Large numbers of New Zealanders are aware of and talking about the issues raised as a result of the publication of Nicky Hager’s book, Dirty Politics, according to results of an August 18-25 HorizonPoll of 1,752 adults nationwide. By large majorities they find dirty...
59% of intending NZ First voters prefer a Labour-led coalition

7 Aug 14 – Winston Peters faces the prospect of going against the wishes of nearly 59% of those who intend to vote for his party if he decides to support a National-led government after the September 20 general election. ...
79% want fairer savings taxes

30 Jul 14 – 79% of New Zealanders want lower taxes on their savings, according to independent polling for the Financial Services Council in June-July, 2014. More than two million New Zealanders have funds in...
Close run result on preferences for change of coalition government

19 Jun 14 – The close run nature of support for National and Labour led coalitions, if one is needed after the September 20 election, is confirmed in Horizon and Ipsos polls out today. A Horizon poll of 1,925 adults nationwide between May 23 and June 16 (maximum margin of error +/-...
41% say "force me to save"

30 Apr 14 – The public resoundingly disagree with one university expert’s opinion that New Zealand does not have a savings problem and don’t need compulsory KiwiSaver. The Financial Services Council (FSC) has released results of research undertaken by Horizon on support...
48% say scrap KiwiSaver tax credit to fund tax cuts on savings

23 Apr 14 – A Horizon Poll commissioned by the Financial Services Council shows KiwiSavers support removing the annual $521 members tax credit (MTC) to fund lower KiwiSaver fund tax rates. $288,000 benefit from lowering tax on savings interest: These proposed...
Telecom’s internet television service could appeal to a million

17 Apr 14 – Telecom might have a market of more than a million New Zealand adults interested in using its internet television service if the content and price are affordable. An independently conducted survey...
Majority think National will lead after election, but would prefer Labour

4 Apr 14 – 66.5% of New Zealand voters think National will lead a coalition government if one is needed after the September 20 general election. However, 51.5% would prefer Labour to lead a coalition if...
Irrigation supported - only if environment protected

10 Mar 14 – A new independent survey shows an overwhelming majority of Kiwis don’t want large-scale irrigation schemes and intensive agriculture expansion if there is failure to protect downstream waterways so that they remain safe for swimming, fishing and food gathering. The...
Kiwis say dairying has gone too far

10 Mar 14 – A new independent survey shows New Zealanders believe the economy is either too heavily dependent on dairy farming (37%) or the growth of intensive dairying has gone too far (31%). Only 19% believe the country should continue to grow dairy farming, with more cows per...
Sugar poll: don't tax, reduce serving sizes

18 Feb 14 – More than 850,000 adult New Zealanders believe they or someone in their household have developed health problems as a result of consuming sugar. However, they prefer reducing the amount of sugar in drinks and reducing the size of sugar-containing drinks to imposing a sugar...
Mass mistrust of contactless transaction credit cards

23 Dec 13 – New Zealanders mistrust contactless transaction credit cards. Major credit cards have introduced a service through which users can wave or tap a credit card to pay for transactions...
Banks, insurance firms financial advisers' main competitors

13 Nov 13 – Banks and insurance companies remain the biggest threat to insurance advisers in spite of the rise of online insurance sales, according to a new survey by Horizon Research. Niko Kloeten, ...
Retirement income: “They have to do something”

30 Oct 13 – The idea of introducing compulsory retirement saving is generally well received among employees on below-average incomes, according to qualitative research conducted through the HorizonPoll panel. Horizon Research recruited 33 people for one-on-one interviews which were...
Brown-Palino gap 15.8%: Horizon's call 14%

3 Oct 13 – Horizon's mid voting poll for all voters found a 14% gap likely between candidates Len Brown and John Palino. The official provisional final result was a 15.8% gap. Our earlier story regarding these results, looking at different scenarios,...
Suburbans New Zealand’s most-read newspapers

18 Sep 13 – Local suburbans are collectively the most read newspapers in New Zealand. 38.4% of adults surveyed nationwide between September 13 and 17 say they have read a suburban newspaper in the past 30 days, the equivalent of more than 1.29 million aged 18+, according to a new...
Palino closes on Brown among definite voters in Auckland Mayoralty race

16 Jul 13 – In a mostly two-way race for Auckland’s Mayoralty, there is a 12% gap between the main candidates, incumbent Len Brown and candidate John Palino. Mr Brown has a comfortable lead on Mr Palino...
Government suffers poor performance ratings on Auckland issues

27 Jun 13 – Nearly 47 out of 100 Aucklanders rated the Government’s performance on the Central Rail Link project as poor in the fortnight before it announced it would support a 2020 start date for the project. 46.9% rated performance on the issue has poor to very poor and 19.9%...
We’re not pure: target waterway clean up

18 Jun 13 – Only 4% of New Zealanders believe the country lives up to its environmentally pure overseas marketing message. Forced to choose yes or no – 55% say “no”. At the same time, 83.7% of the 2152 respondents to the Sustainable Business Council – Fairfax...
How Kiwi consumers will flex their buying power

7 Jun 13 – 67% of adult New Zealanders could switch brands if they found their regular brand or service provider was having a bad affect on the environment, people or society, or was behaving unethically. The latest Sustainable Business Council – Fairfax Media survey on...
Ethical choice making ground with shoppers

6 Jun 13 – Ethical worries are staging a comeback in the battle of conscience versus price, after suffering some serious post-recession fatigue. Each year the Sustainable Business Council/Fairfax Business and Consumer Behaviour Survey, conducted by Horizon Research, asks shoppers...
Technology saving time - but we feel busier

1 May 13 – New Zealanders believe technology has resulted in a timesaving of six hours a week on average compared with a decade ago; however, three quarters of us are still feeling the pressure when it comes to managing our time. According to the Visa payWave Currency of Time Survey,...
New Zealanders moving smartly away from standard mobiles

26 Mar 13 – More adults in New Zealand now have a smartphone than a standard mobile. The number of adults with smartphones has reached nearly 50%, while the number with standard mobiles is 45.2%. More than 456,000 more adults now have a smartphone than in...
Insurers can sell a million new policies in next year

20 Mar 13 – A new survey shows just New Zealand adults intend buying more than a million new insurance policies during the next 12 months. Existing customers also intend to increase their existing insurance cover on 695,000 of their policies, but only cancel 94,000 policies. ...
Serious illness equals serious financial trouble

18 Feb 13 – Key point summary: 972,700 households with annual incomes $20,000+ do not have income protection Each year the primary income earner in 14,980 of those households will fall seriously ill and be...
Strong support for universal KiwiSaver

14 Jan 13 – New Zealanders today regret the decision to abolish compulsory superannuation in 1976, and a solid majority of New Zealanders now favour the reintroduction of a universal KiwiSaver scheme. Almost three out of four New Zealanders agree now that it was a mistake to scrap the...
Who looks in stores, then buys online

8 Jan 13 – About 15 in every 100 adult New Zealand shoppers with internet access are looking at items in stores – before buying online. About seven in 100 are buying online from a different retailer than the one who showed them or let them try on items. A...
64% of Aucklanders support $2.5 billion city rail link project

19 Nov 12 – Main findings summary of a Horizon Research City Rail Link survey: 75% of Aucklanders want integrated bus-rail improvements to their public transport 64% support building the major City Rail Link (CRL)...
80.7% want independent investigation of complaints against police

16 Oct 12 – A Horizon Research survey over the weekend finds 80.7% of New Zealanders want all complaints about the police to be investigated independently. The survey also finds: 76.3% think the Independent Police Conduct Authority should have the power...
65% yes for convention centre, 57% no to SkyCity deal

12 Oct 12 – Putting aside the issue of who should operate it, 65% of New Zealanders want an international convention centre built at Auckland. 18% oppose, while 17% don’t know. However, 56.9% oppose the idea of...
62.9% support end of life choice

15 Sep 12 – A HorizonPoll of 2,969 adult New Zealanders finds 62.9% support proposed end of life choice law changes. A private member’s bill may come before the New Zealand Parliament in 2012 which would aim to give all New Zealand citizens or permanent...
Smartphone market will grow 20% in the next 12 months

16 Aug 12 – The smartphone market will grow 20% in the next 12 months. More than 55% adults will have smartphones by mid next year, according to a new Smartphone Market monitoring report from Horizon Research. This will put the new technology into the hands...
New HorizonPoll: 43.5% going mortgage shopping

14 Jul 12 – A new Horizon Research survey shows 13% of home owners with mortgages are shopping for better deals right now. The survey reveals the huge pressure being placed on mortgage providers to compete. It also indicates worsening household finances...
Public back compulsory savings policy idea

22 Jun 12 – New Zealanders are firmly in favour of making contributions to employees’ personal retirement savings accounts compulsory. The Financial Services Council (FSC) has released results of a HorizonPoll, saying it has not taken a position on whether savings contributions...
Savings research results: NZ Super not enough

13 Jun 12 – Most people understand that New Zealand Superannuation will not provide them with enough money to live comfortably. According to results of a HorizonPoll survey conducted for the Financial Services Council, New Zealanders felt the average income needed to live comfortably...
Fewer trust business, 50% uncomfortable about buying NZX shares

29 Mar 12 – 70 per cent of New Zealanders are now “less trusting” or “totally distrusting” of the honesty and integrity of businesses in New Zealand after recent finance company failures. Overwhelmingly New Zealanders are looking for honesty, integrity and high...
63% of New Zealanders say they are not saving enough

7 Mar 12 – 63% of New Zealanders say they are not currently saving enough to retire on a comfortable income. There is widespread concern among New Zealanders over how much income they will have in retirement. Nearly 80% think their savings will run out before...
Brands at risk if eggs from cruel sources

2 Dec 11 – Companies face a risk to their brands if they use eggs from battery caged hens, according to latest survey results released today by animal advocacy group SAFE. Almost a third of respondents said they would prefer well-known companies such as...
Election results close to forecasts

27 Nov 11 – Horizon’s final pre-election poll indicated National’s probable share of definite voters would be 32.6% of the 18+population or 1.06 million votes. ...
MMP: 50% say keep it

23 Nov 11 – 56% of votes cast in this weekend's referendum will be to keep the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system. Overall, 50% will vote for it, 39.8% against, while 10.1% say they won’t vot...
Six-way contest for Maori vote, Labour preferred as coalition leader

22 Nov 11 – Results of a poll conducted by the specialist Horizon Research Maori Panel finds a six-way contest now occurring for Maori votes. In contrast with a mainly two-party Labour and Maori Party contest in 2008, there is now a six-way contest occurring for party votes among...
NZ First 10% and set to hold balance of power

20 Nov 11 – An HorizonPoll shows New Zealand First making significant gains in the past week. New Zealand First now has 10.5% of people 18+ who have decided their party vote, or are undecided but indicate a preference and who are...
Six out of 100 will decide party vote in polling booth

16 Nov 11 – A RadioLIVE-HorizonPoll finds four of out 10 people aged 18+ have yet to make a final decision on which party to vote for in the November 26 general election – and 5.8% will leave it until they are actually in the polling booth. The last weeks of the campaign...
Support for lifting retirement age, close call on KiwiSaver policies

6 Nov 11 – More New Zealanders support raising the age of eligibility for NZ Super from 65 to 67 years old than oppose. However, it is a close call when people are asked which of the main parties' KiwiSaver policies they support and whether or not the country should...
Leaders' debate final result: Goff wins by 7.4%

2 Nov 11 – Labour leader Phil Goff won the first major televised debate with John Key by 7.4%. Mr Goff scores 41%, Mr Key 33.6% in a nationwide poll of New Zealanders who were asked who won the debate. The RadioLIVE-HorizonPoll survey of 534 debate viewers,...
Interim: Goff leads debate winner poll

1 Nov 11 – Labour leader Phil Goff is 7.4% ahead of National’s John Key in a new nationwide poll asking New Zealanders who won last night’s televised leaders’ debate. Mr Goff scores 39.1%, Mr Key 31.7% when people...
The Rugby World Cup and Kiwis’ emotions

29 Oct 11 – The first post Rugby World Cup research on how the event affected New Zealanders shows an overwhelming 84.8% think it was good for New Zealand. And 63% said for them and their household it was fun. 51.6% say it caused excitement, 38% that is was good for their...
Don’t know voters and minor parties will determine who governs

22 Oct 11 – New Zealand is currently heading for a close election result. Which main party will have an opportunity to form the next Government may depend on the New Zealand First and the Mana parties, and who 6.9% of undecided voters support. An...
New Zealanders judge Rena wreck management as poor

20 Oct 11 – 65% of New Zealanders feel more could have been done earlier to avoid the loss of fuel from the wreck of the container ship Rena and resulting pollution. New Zealanders are also giving the Government, Prime Minister, the Transport Minister and Tauranga-Bay of Plenty...
Business decision makers approve Government's performance

14 Oct 11 – Business leaders are more likely to postively rate the government than general voters. A Horizon Research poll, a conducted between September 12-30, shows the National-led government’s overall performance met the expectations of 51.8% of the country’s business...
HorizonPoll: Minor parties may decide who governs

25 Sep 11 – National’s support is up 2.2% and 79% think it is most likely to lead the next government. However, the latest Horizon Research poll of 2,295 registered and intending voters nationwide shows National does not have enough support to govern alone – and will rely...
78% backing for drug tests at work

24 Sep 11 – New Zealanders overwhelmingly believe employers should have the right to drug-test employees. A Horizon Research poll of 2266 adults aged 18 and over, commissioned by labour hire company Allied Workforce, comes as the Government considers a proposal by the Rebstock Welfare...
Facebook New Zealand’s top social media site

3 Sep 11 – Facebook is winning the battle for social media site users in New Zealand. Facebook is being visited by 76.1% of web users aged 18+. This indicates more than 2.43 million adult New Zealanders are visiting Facebook in any 30 day period. ...
Less than 1% separates potential coalitions

24 Jul 11 – The two potential coalitions which could govern New Zealand after November's general election are less than 1% apart. The latest HorizonPoll of 1201 people on Friday (July 22) finds the current governing coalition (National, Act, Maori Party, United...
Maori post election government preferences

10 Jul 11 – Maori most want the Mana and Maori parties, if they have seats in Parliament after the election, not to enter a National cabinet. They prefer them to join a Labour cabinet, or support a government on an issue by issue basis, according to a specialist Horizon Research Maori...
Budget unlikely to change KiwiSaver savings levels

14 Jun 11 – Research commissioned by the Investment Savings and Insurance Association (ISI) shows that while few New Zealanders support the KiwiSaver changes announced in the Budget, most are likely to remain committed to the scheme. Not surprisingly, the HorizonPoll survey found that...
Slight support fall for National in post-Budget poll

24 May 11 – National has lost 1.1% party vote support in the four days since the Government presented its Budget. A post-Budget HorizonPoll covering 1,758 respondents nationwide shows the potential centre left and centre right coalitions neck and neck. The...
40%+ of middle income households plan to cut spending

23 May 11 – The intention to cut back spending after the Budget is highest among middle-income New Zealand households. HorizonPoll post-Budget research finds 35% of households say they will spend less as a result of the Budget. It particularly affects spending...
59% back borrowing to fund Canterbury quake recovery

23 May 11 – A nationwide post-Budget HorizonPoll finds 59.4% support extra Government borrowing to help fund Canterbury’s earthquake recovery. The Government says the Canterbury earthquakes will cost the Government an extra $5.5 billion over several years. ...
Budget forecasts unrealistic, households feel worse off

22 May 11 – The economic growth forecasts which underpin this week’s Budget are seen as unrealistic by 49% of New Zealanders. The first nationwide post-Budget HorizonPoll of 1,154 people, conducted between 11.5am Friday May 20 and 6.30am Saturday May 21 (maximum...
Act breaks through 5% support threshold

15 May 11 – The Act Party now has 5.3% voter support. A new HorizonPoll conducted between Thursday and Friday shows Act is up from 3.7% in April after making Don Brash its leader. The first result for the new Mana Party shows it has 2.3% party vote support...
New Mana Party splits Maori Party support

8 May 11 – The new Mana Party could split Maori voting, allowing Labour to edge out the Maori Party in both electorate and party vote contests. A May 3 to 7 poll of 517 Maori nationwide by Horizon Research finds the Mana Party could win 12.6% of electorate and 15.1% of party votes...
Party vote: 3.7% gap between competing coalitions

24 Apr 11 – National has shed a lift in support it enjoyed following the February 22 Canterbury earthquakes. A nationwide HorizonPoll survey of registered voters, who intend to turn out at this year’s general election, and who...
More believe economy will decline this year

27 Mar 11 – A majority of business people think the economy will decline this year, according to a new HorizonPoll. More than 50% of business proprietors, managers and executives think the economy will decline this year. By party vote, those who most expect an...
Poll reveals scale of Canterbury's post quake employment issues

18 Mar 11 – Up to half a million workers are prepared to go to Christchurch if there’s a guaranteed job, the money’s right and they are given a place to stay. That’s the finding of an Allied Work Force-HorizonPoll conducted between March 12 and 15, 2011. ...
New Zealanders not confident Government has adequate economic plans

13 Mar 11 – The Government suffers a series of poor economic management and policy confidence results in a new HorizonPoll nationwide survey. New Zealanders, by large majorities, are not confident the Government has adequate plans to reduce unemployment, achieve economic growth,...
Only 11% of Maori find foreshore and seabed solution acceptable

10 Mar 11 – First results from a new nationwide specialist Maori research service show only 11% of Maori think the current foreshore and seabed policy solution is acceptable. A nationwide poll of 1021 Maori by the Horizon Research Maori Panel, conducted between Tuesday and Thursday...
Who Kiwis most trust and distrust

23 Jan 11 – A major Mood of The Nation HorizonPoll for the Sunday Star Times finds Kiwis least trust finance companies - and most trust ambulance officers. The top most distrusted are finance companies (55.5%), telemarketers (54.2%), used car...
People feel worse off, locking wallets in 2011

16 Jan 11 – New-found austerity is revealed in an HorizonPoll survey commissioned by the Sunday Star-Times. The HorizonPoll, covering 2055 respondents between January 7 and 13, 2011, finds many are worrying over their personal finances and job prospects: ...
Potential vote: detailed results

9 Jan 11 – HORIZONPOLL: The Political Year Ahead The detailed results for potential party votes are available as an Excel file. ...
Sunday Star Times-HorizonPoll shows election close call

9 Jan 11 – This year's general election could result in a close call, according to a major new Sunday Star Times-HorizonPoll. The Sunday Star Times reports results...
Auditor General inquiry into Wong spending wanted by 67%

19 Dec 10 – New Zealanders think the main reason National MP Pansy Wong resigned was because there is information on the issue which, if published, would have made it impossible for her to continue in Parliament. 40.7% cite this as the reason they believed she resigned, while 34.3%...
New Zealand First may decide who governs

5 Dec 10 – New Zealand First now has enough support to decide which of the main two parties governs after next year’s general election. The Winston Peters-led party now has 6% support among people who say they will vote, according to the latest nationwide ...
More than half say they are worse off after major tax reform

21 Nov 10 – Only 8.4% say they feel better off as a result of October’s major tax reforms. Some 53.5% say they are worse off after tax cuts and rises in benefits and GST. Some 35.6% say they are neither better nor worse off, according to a nationwide...
Final exit poll indicates Brown will be super city Mayor

8 Oct 10 – A final HorizonPoll survey indicates Len Brown will comfortably win the Auckland super city Mayoralty. Mr Brown has 53.7% support among those who have cast votes. John Banks has 23.8%, Colin Craig 10.4%, others 6.4% and 4.6% will...
Banks failing to carry National vote, Auckland and business

2 Oct 10 – The latest HorizonPoll tracking survey finds Len Brown continuing to gain over John Banks in the Auckland super city Mayoralty race. Among those who have already voted, Brown’s lead over Banks has increased from 27% to a 32%, and he leads Banks by...
More detail: HorizonPoll Canterbury quake impact survey

27 Sep 10 – Here is more deail from the survey of the people of Canterbury on how they're managing the impact of the September 4 and after -shock earthquakes. HorizonPoll survey of 378 residents of Christchurch City and Waimakariri and Ashburton district...
Exit poll puts Brown well ahead of Banks

26 Sep 10 – Auckland Mayoral candidate Len Brown has a strong lead over rival John Banks in the first HorizonPoll survey of those who have so far voted in the first super city elections. The weighted survey of 570 city voters, conducted on Thursday and Friday (September 23-24), shows...
What you're saying about the super city Mayoral candidates!

17 Sep 10 – Here are HorizonPoll voters' comments on leading Auckland super city Mayoral candidates John Banks and Len Brown, after voting 29% to 17% for Brown over Banks. Some 37% were undecided, according to the August 24- September 16 weighted ...
Brown beating Banks in race for Aucklanders' hearts

15 Sep 10 – Aucklanders are more likely to have positive feelings about Mayoral candidate Len Brown than his main rival John Banks, according to the first research probing super city voters’ feelings. Brown leads Banks by 12% among decided voters in the latest HorizonPoll survey...
Brown stretches lead over Banks - but 37% still undecided

3 Sep 10 – Len Brown is now polling 13% ahead of John Banks in the Auckland super city mayoralty contest. With 980 super city voters (August 23-September 3, 2010) having now completed the survey, Brown has 30% of decided voters, Banks 17...
Brown opens 9% lead over Banks among decided voters

26 Aug 10 – Len Brown is polling 9% ahead of John Banks in the race for the Auckland super city mayoralty. An HorizonPoll survey of 500 super city voters (August 23-26, 2010) shows Brown has 28% of decided voters, Banks 19%. Some...
Whopping 92% say Kiwis need to save more

25 Aug 10 – Kiwis know they need to save more. In a current HorizonPoll on compulsory savings policy options, a whopping 92% so far are saying that generally there is a need for New Zealanders to save more . Only 4% disagre...