Photo: RNZ
Labour has overtaken National as the party New Zealanders consider most able to handle the cost of living, according to the latest Ipsos Issues Monitor survey.
The topic has remained the top concern for New Zealanders since February 2022, and has now gone up five points since the last survey in February 2024 - bucking a steady downward trend.
Labour overtaking National on ability to handle the issue for the first time since October 2021 - climbing 4 percentage points to 32 percent, compared to National's 1-point drop to 31 - will be a worry for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon who made it a key election issue in 2023.
Labour also remains New Zealanders' top pick on the number 2 issue healthcare - rising 4 points to 40 percent to National's 24, up 1 point - with the issue also increasingly a concern, hitting another new record at 43 percent.
National is still on top when it comes to the economy at 35 percent but that's a 1-point drop from February, Labour closing the gap by the same amount, rising to 30 percent. Concern about the economy lifted 2 points to 32 percent.
Labour has overtaken National as the party considered most capable of handling inflation and the cost of living for the first time since October 2021. Photo: IPSOS Issues Monitor
Housing and law and order are the fourth-equal concern at 25 percent, with worry about housing dropping 2 points and law and order holding steady.
Labour gained three points to 32 percent on housing while National stayed steady at 27 percent, and Labour gained 4 points to 26 percent on law and order with National still in the lead but dropping two points to 34 percent.
Labour is rated best able to handle the majority of issues rated 6th to 20th, other than climate change, environmental pollution, issues affecting Māori and defence / foreign affairs / terrorism. Photo: IPSOS Issues Monitor
Labour has also overtaken National on petrol prices and taxation, meaning it's now considered the party most able to handle all the 6th to 20th-ranked issues other than climate change (Greens), pollution and water (Greens), Issues facing Māori (Te Pāti Māori) and Defence/Foreign Affairs (National).
Ratings of the coalition's performance rose slightly from the last survey's record low of 4.2 out of 10, to 4.3.
New Zealanders were asked to rate the government's performance out of 10. The rating has increased from 4.2 to 4.3. Photo: IPSOS Issues Monitor
The Ipsos New Zealand survey was carried out between 23 to 30 May and asked 1002 New Zealanders what they thought were the top three most important issues facing the country today.
The poll is conducted through online panels, and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points. It had no external sponsors or partners, is initiated and run by Ipsos "because we think it is important for businesses and organisations to understand the challenges that New Zealanders face in the context of their everyday lives".
Results were weighted by age, gender and region to reflect the wider New Zealand population. Some results may sum to 100 percent and others may show a difference higher or lower than the actual due to rounding, multiple responses, or the exclusion of "don't know" or "not stated" responses.
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