How Kiwis are feeling about their friendships after Covid-19 - survey

Two thirds of people said they'd consider the family pet to be a best mate. Photo / 123RF

Kiwis are more than twice as likely to report a positive impact of Covid-19 on their friendships compared to a negative one, a new survey shows.

But a third of New Zealanders also feel lonelier post-lockdown, and one in five have found it difficult to restart friendships after isolation measures were lifted.

The Kiwi Life Moments report surveyed 509 people over the age of 18, exploring their friendships and how the pandemic has affected their lives.

The results show close friends are the third most important aspect in a Kiwi's life behind family, and good health or wellbeing.

The research, commissioned by One Choice NZ in collaboration with CoreData research group, also asked people about their major life moments.

The key findings unsurprisingly show a third of people define the arrival of Covid-19 as a significant moment in their lives, with 89 per cent believing it has shaped the future of New Zealand.

They also show that Kiwis have a positive outlook, with 85.4 per cent saying they have been able to make the best out of their circumstance.

Nine in 10 people said they were proud to be a Kiwi, and prouder still because of the way Covid-19 was handled locally.

Another key finding was that just over 70 per cent of people explicitly opposed opening the borders to foreign travellers.

Kiwi friendships

The average New Zealander has 214 friends on social media, 28 friends they interact with at least once a month, and nine close friends.

The total number of friends people have peaks in their 30s and tends to trail off with age, although the number of close friends stays about the same.

About 77 per cent of people included family members in their "good friends" category, with sisters being the most likely relative to make the friendship cut.

Three in five people also consider the family pet to be one of their best mates.

Coronavirus' impact

Although 60.6 per cent say there has been no impact on their personal relationships from the pandemic, one in five say it has negatively impacted their personal relationships to some degree.

On the upside, more than 43 per cent say the pandemic has had a positive impact on their relationships.

About half of respondents said they'd reached out to friends in need during the crisis, and had witnessed other people checking in one someone who might be vulnerable.

The research also showed people were re-evaluating their friendships, with nearly 79 per cent now saying losing some friendships was good if it left them with more high quality connections.

Many also expect their friendship circles to be closer post-coronavirus.

Kiwis' most significant events

Nearly half of respondents said they'd reprioritised what was their most important personal life moment after going through Covid-19.

They ranked significant national events against their own major life moments.

• 42.9 per cent said their most important personal life moment came out on top

• 33.2 per cent said Covid-19 was the most significant moment

• 10.1 per cent identified the Christchurch and Canterbury earthquakes as their most important moments

• 8.6 per cent singled out the Christchurch mosque shootings

• 3.4 per cent voted for the 2008 global financial crisis

• 1.9 per cent said the Whakaari/White Island eruption was the most significant moment for them