'Kiwi spirit' has NZers feeling more hopeful than Australians amid Covid-19 pandemic, survey shows

May 21, 2020
Australian and New Zealand flags

New Zealanders are feeling more hopeful than Australians amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a new survey has shown.

A study published today by the Wilberforce Foundation found that while nine out of 10 New Zealanders feel uncertain about the future, overall they are more hopeful than Australians.

The study was conducted in the last week of Level 4 lockdown and looked at the beliefs, attitudes and values of 1,002 New Zealanders.

It showed 45 per cent of Kiwis were feeling hopeful while 39 per cent felt anxious, much less than results from a similar study done in Australia.

Conducted in March 2020, the Australian study showed the number one emotion Australians were feeling was anxiety at 45 per cent, with hope trailing in fifth position at 27 per cent.

Chris Clarke of the Wilberforce Foundation, said what stood out in the survey was the "Kiwi spirit".

“Two out of three New Zealanders identified the sense of pulling together for the greater good, and kindness and friendship as examples of the Kiwi spirit in action during the pandemic.”

Results also showed that just over half of Kiwis want to see a return to normal life.

“This suggests that many New Zealanders accept that life in our country will be very different and a ‘new normal’ to the one we knew just a few months ago. There lies the challenge for political, business, community and spiritual leaders,” said Mr Clarke.

When asked about which leaders had inspired them during the pandemic, 72 per cent of New Zealanders indicated the Prime Minister, 53 per cent identified health experts and officials, and 26 per cent said the police.

Of those surveyed, 75 per cent said they had spent more time reflecting during lockdown, while more than one in three New Zealanders spent more time praying.

Younger generations also appear to have struggled the most with the effects of lockdown with 70 per cent of 18 - 25 year olds agreeing they found it difficult to stay mentally healthy compared to only 13 per cent of those over the age of 75.  

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