Kai time keeps Kiwis connected

Kai time keeps Kiwis connected

21 August 2015

Nearly half of us get along very well with the people we live with, but one-third of Kiwis say they don’t get enough quality time together, Statistics New Zealand said today. Sharing meals helps.

Of New Zealanders who live with others, 49 percent gave a rating of 10, on a 0 to 10 scale, when asked how well they got along with other household members.

Eating meals together is a common way household members stay connected – 39 percent of people shared eight or more meals a week, while most of us shared four to seven meals weekly.

“Eating together is a primary way people living together spend time with each other,” labour market and household statistics manager Diane Ramsay said.

How good are our family relationships? states that 59 percent of couples-without-children shared eight or more meals weekly. This compares with only around one-third of couples-with-children and sole-parent families.

“This difference is perhaps a result of staggered meal times, but it’s interesting to see that people without children share more meals together than those with children,” Ms Ramsay says.

Many Kiwis also feel they’re not getting enough quality time with family – just under one-third said they’d like to spend more time with family. The remaining two-thirds said they’re getting the right amount of quality time.

How good are our family relationships? uses information from the 2014 New Zealand General Social Survey to explore the connections that New Zealanders aged 15 years or older have with their household and family members.

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