FUTURE SHOCK
We’re dreaming of visiting family – and the beach – again, but for many Kiwis, life in lockdown has been financially devastating. Marine´ Lourens reports.
Kiwis believe a kinder New Zealand will emerge from the Covid-19 crisis. But the findings of a comprehensive survey reveal the price we're paying.
And it doesn't end there – the Govt is eyeing helping people start new businesses and the workforce faces a massive retraining challenge as hundreds of thousands of jobs disappear for good, replaced by openings in construction and horticulture.
As the Government weighs up loosening lockdown restrictions, a new survey shows Kiwis overwhelmingly support the Government’s ‘‘go hard’’ approach to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
The survey by independent research company Kudos has shown Kiwis mostly agree with the decision to put the country in lockdown.
But it has not been without pain – among fulltime and part-time employed workers, only 54 per cent of those who responded are still employed on the same pay and conditions as before the lockdown, while a quarter of workers have taken a pay cut, temporary redundancy or are using up annual leave to get by. Half of all self-employed workers, meanwhile, say work has dried up.
The Life after Lockdown report was compiled using data from 1000 respondents who were surveyed online between April 10 and April 13. Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern will announce tomorrow whether the country will move to alert level three after four weeks of strict physical distancing rules designed to stamp out the virus.
Over the weekend there were 21 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus.
The Kudos survey reveals that after four weeks in lockdown we have been most impressed by the kindness of others – and that we are most looking forward to seeing family when the lockdown ends, followed by the opportunity to travel again and go to the beach.
Respondents were asked about their view of the Government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the challenges they experienced during the lockdown and their expectations of Kiwi life post-Covid-19.
A total of 83 per cent of respondents thought the Government has done an outstanding job of handling the crisis in New Zealand.
Only 14 per cent felt the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic were somewhat exaggerated, while a mere 5 per cent thought going into lockdown was unnecessary.
Younger people under 30 years seem to be taking the coronavirus pandemic less seriously – 21 per cent said the dangers of the pandemic have been exaggerated while 6 per cent thought going into lockdown was a mistake.
Younger respondents also showed slightly less belief in science. Seventy-four per cent of the under-30 age group were glad to have good scientists on board, compared to 88 per cent of respondents over 65 years of age.
Interestingly, political allegiance did not seem to have much influence when it came to people’s perception of the Covid19 response.
‘‘The lack of politicisation surprised me,’’ said senior researcher Duncan Stuart, who headed the study. ‘‘In political polls there are wider splits and fractures in public opinion, but the Covid-19 crisis has been handled in such a way as to be more or less politics-free. There’s a startling degree of unanimity here.’’
Stuart pointed out political differences were more noticeable when respondents were asked about the coronavirus pandemic in relation to climate change.
When asked if climate change is a bigger issue than the coronavirus pandemic, 52 per cent of Greens agreed or strongly agreed that it was. By comparison, 18 per cent of National Party voters, 25 per cent of Labour supporters and 24 per cent of NZ First supporters agreed that climate change was the bigger issue between the two. When asked if New Zealand should do everything it can to make the environment a priority even if it means less economic growth, 28 per cent of National Party supporters agreed with this statement. More than a third (38 per cent) of Labour supporters agreed with the statement, while 55 per cent of Greens felt environmental sustainability should be prioritised over economic growth.
Overall, 36 per cent of respondents felt the environment should enjoy priority over economic growth, compared to 21 per cent who would rather see economic growth being prioritised.
‘‘There’s a pronounced difference between National and Labour on if NZ should do everything it can to make the environment a priority – even if it means less economic growth. This will probably become a major battleground,’’ said Stuart.
The research showed there is little doubt that the coronavirus pandemic has been a major disrupter to the New Zealand economy and Kiwis’ lives.
Just over half of those surveyed have been able to keep their jobs and their regular pay throughout the lockdown. Twenty-three per cent were able to keep
Those under 30 years seem to be taking the coronavirus pandemic less seriously, showing slightly less faith in science, and believing the danger of the outbreak had been exaggerated.
their jobs, but had to take a pay cut or use up annual leave, while 7 per cent had been laid off.
Eleven per cent of respondents were self-employed and half of them had seen their income dry up.
It is, however, not all bad news. When asked about life after Covid-19, there was a relatively strong belief that New Zealanders will be less consumption-focused and that the ‘‘kindness’’ of the lockdown experience will continue.
Eighty-one per cent of respondents said the coronavirus pandemic will leave behind a society that has learned good lessons about ‘‘being in it together and being kind’’. A massive 88 per cent of respondents said this sense of community is likely to continue or grow after the lockdown.
On the other side of the coin, 77 per cent of respondents expect social issues such as domestic violence and drug and alcohol abuse are likely to get worse. Meanwhile, 73 per cent expect the widening gap between rich and poor to continue or grow after lockdown.
A majority, 58 per cent, said the rise in house values was likely to continue or accelerate in the future.
Many business owners have had to adapt to survive throughout the lockdown, often shifting their operations online and finding new ways to interact with customers remotely. The research report showed at least 40 per cent of respondents think main street shopping is under serious threat after lockdown.
Tony Brunton, owner of First Place Fitness in Hamilton, is one of thousands of business owners who has had to get creative to keep serving his members during this time.
‘‘We started a closed page on Facebook that only our members have access to where we share home workouts and exercise tips and tricks to keep them active throughout the lockdown.
‘‘We make sure they are all homebased workouts and we’ve gotten really innovative using shopping bags and paint tins and so on to make it work,’’ Brunton said.
He also hopes to resume the one-on-one consultations with health coaches at the weight-loss centre inside the gym virtually, through video calling.
Brunton says his business has been massively affected by the lockdown. Membership fees have been paused during the time that the gym is not able to open, but staff wages and other expenses still need to be paid.
‘‘The Government helped out with the wages, but that is just a drop in the ocean compared to the membership fees that’s been paused. We have zero income coming in.’’
Brunton feels positive his business will be able to bounce back once things return to normal. He said a big reason for this is his loyal client base. ‘‘This gym is pretty much like a family and we’ve got so many loyal members who just stick with us,’’ he said. ‘‘I think it is going to take businesses some time to recover from the money they’ve lost during the lockdown [and customers] are going to be more wary about spending their money post-lockdown.’’
‘Life after lockdown’ was compiled by independent research company Kudos using data from 1000 respondents who were surveyed online between April 10 and April 13. It has a maximum margin of error of 3.1 per cent. The survey was underwritten by the Gareth Morgan Foundation, which had no input into the questions.