The Great NZ Midwinter Recession Survey

The Great NZ Midwinter Recession Survey

At last, a definitive answer to how the recession is affecting ordinary New
Zealand families. This random phone survey of 502 people was carried out in
early July. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4%.

What does it feel like for ordinary families to be in the middle of a recession?
What is happening to wages, to prices? Are people optimistic or pessimistic
about the future?

Survey Plus’s survey found:

o Families are feeling the pinch but most are not worse off. Compared to 12
months ago, most families (47.5%) stated that things are ‘just the same’.
44% noted that their household was ‘worse off’, with 9% stating they
were ‘better off’, then a year ago.

o Of the 45 families that were better off, nearly all cited an increase in their
wages and salaries. 5 households said that costs had gone down for them.

o Nearly 90% of those who are worse off said the main reason was that
household costs had gone up.

o But around 45% of the worse off (100 people) had seen their wages and
salaries fall in the past 12 months.

o Another 20% (45 people) had seen their income from other sources, such
as interest and rents, fall.

o Families are expecting things to remain the same for the next 12 months
(52% expected no change in their circumstances). But 32% were
optimistic things would get better, while only 16% thought things would
get worse for their household.

o Finally, 86 households (17%) said that they had suffered job loss,
redundancy, reduced hours or reduced pay rates as a result of the
recession. There were 51 jobs lost, 53 household members had seen their
hours reduced and 16 had seen their rate of pay reduced.

ENDS

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