New data from polling commissioned by the Government has shone a light on Kiwis' thinking and behaviour around the Covid-19 pandemic.
The data found almost a third of New Zealanders found joy over the Covid-19 situation; 53 per cent are worried about opening up the quarantine-free bubble further afield and men under 35 are less compliant and less engaged with Covid measures.
The May online research was commissioned by the Government to gauge how New Zealanders were feeling around Covid-19, with the data aiming to help develop messaging and campaigns.
Males aged under 35 felt their life was better than before Covid-19 and it would continue to improve - but they were less engaged with the impact of Covid-19 and also less compliant to Covid-19 guidelines such as hygiene measures.
Almost 30 per cent did not comply with coughing or sneezing into their elbows or washing their hands correctly/santise, compared to the total average of about 15-16 per cent who did not.
Around the same amount (30 per cent) wouldn't stay home if sick, compared to 15 per cent of the total who wouldn't stay home.
Only 68 per cent of men under 35 would wear a mask on public transport, compared to 79 per cent of the average.
Karin Glucina from The Research Agency (TRA) who conducted the research, described the group as "just a more difficult audience always to engage with health behaviours".
"I think they feel quite bulletproof."
More than half (53 per cent) were worried about opening up bubbles further than Australia and the Cook Islands. Thirty-two per cent were "OK about it" and only 16 per cent were happy with the idea.
Forty-four per cent of those who responded to the survey felt neural towards the Covid-19 situation in New Zealand, while 28 per cent felt joy, 11 per cent felt sad, 11 per cent anger and 10 per cent proud.
This was despite 31 per cent feeling their life was worse than before Covid-19 and 27 per cent thought their lives were better.
Only nine per cent thought life would return to normal after the vaccination rollout, while 36 per cent expected to continue with health behaviours brought on by the pandemic and 47 per cent thought there would be some differences in day to day life.
The Unite Against Covid brand was trusted by 42 per cent, however trust was lower among Māori.
There was also more fear towards Covid-19 by Māori, with the research saying it was largely due to the impact of Covid-19 on life goals, mainly based on financial betterment. It also found that Māori were more optimistic compared to the overall average about their life progress.
The biggest source of information about Covid-19 was gathered from articles in the news, then from friends and family, followed by social media posts.
A sample size of 1853 New Zealanders aged 16 and over was used online from May 12 to 27, weighted to align to the population.
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