New Zealanders overwhelmingly want economic stimulus measures which get people back to work.

A Horizon Research survey of policies to stimulate the economy finds 79% support “getting people back to work”.

This equates to support by an estimated 2,830,000 adults.

The second most supported policy is giving people a lump sum cash payment (50%), equivalent to around 1,797,600 adults.

The third ranking measure was to build affordable housing (48%), followed by

• Household rent subsidies (47%)

• Lower tax rates for individuals (43%)

• Reintroducing low interest 30-year Government housing loans (40%)

• Continuing wage subsidies (40%)

• Large infrastructure projects (40%)

• Commercial rent subsidies (37%)

• Removing GST on purchases for a period of time (35%)

• Further benefit increases (34%)

• Increases in top levels of personal income tax (32%), and

• Lower taxes for business (30%).

Horizon says the concern over getting back to work, and support for a lump sum cash payment, may reflect other findings of the survey:

• 179,800 adults say they have lost their jobs as a direct result of COVID-19 (although 31,900 of them have found a new job) and a further
•
• 794,600 adults say their working hours have been reduced (as at April 30). In total, a nett 942,500 of the country’s 3,515,300 adults say their jobs or working hours have been impacted.
•
At the same time

• 1.4 million have not lost their jobs or income, and
•
• 1.2 million were not working before the COVID-19 threat emerged.

Results are from an April 28-30 survey of 1,151 members of Horizon’s specialist online research panels representing the New Zealand adult population at the 2018 Census. At a 95% confidence level, the maximum margin of error is +/- 2.9% overall. Detailed results are available from Horizon Research.

www.horizonpoll.co.nz

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