Aucklanders are reasonably optimistic the economy will improve in the next year but less confident the Government is heading in the right direction.
The results are contained in a Herald-DigiPoll survey of 750 Aucklanders, which found 34.6 per cent believed the economy would do better over the nextyear, while 29.8 per cent disagreed.
A quarter predicted it would remain the same, while just over 10 per cent said they did not know.
They had stronger views on whether the Government was heading in the right direction, with 47.2 per cent saying it was not and 41.8 saying it was.
As for the economy doing better or worse than a year ago, 29.4 per cent said it was doing better and 32.4 per cent said worse, with nearly 30 per cent saying about the same and the rest unsure.
Health was their most important issue with law and order in second and tax cuts third.
As reported yesterday, 47.3 per cent of Aucklanders would give their party vote to National and 40.3 per cent to Labour.
The Greens scored 6.8 per cent but the news was bad for the smaller parties with New Zealand First at 1.9 per cent, Act on 0.6 per cent and United Future and the Maori Party on 0.3 per cent each.
Prime Minister Helen Clark remained well on top in the preferred prime minister stakes, with 52.3 per cent support. National's Don Brash was on 18.8 per cent with John Key on 17.3 per cent.
NZ First leader Winston Peters managed 4.3 per cent, with Bill English and Jim Anderton coming fifth-equal on 0.8 per cent.
