Labour leads on cost of living as National loses economic ground in poll

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis. Photo / RNZ, Marika Khabazi

By Giles Dexter of RNZ

National has lost ground on the economy, and voters still see Labour as most capable of handling the cost of living, according to a new poll.

The Ipsos Issues Monitor is a quarterly survey that asks New Zealanders what they consider to be the most important issues, and the political parties they believe are most capable at handling them.

Its latest survey shows the cost of living is still the No 1 issue concerning voters, with 60% of New Zealanders identifying it as a concern.

The topic has been the top concern since February 2022, with the latest survey showing a five-point increase on the last one.

In that previous survey, Labour overtook National on the cost of living, and it has now increased its lead by one point to 33%.

National, meanwhile, has dropped five points to 26%.

Photo / Supplied, Ipsos Issues Monitor

National remains the party seen most capable of handling the economy, crime/law and order, and defence/foreign affairs.

But its lead on the economy has slipped from 35% to 32%, while Labour is now closing in on 30%.

Photo / Supplied, Ipsos Issues Monitor

In total, Labour is seen as most capable on 14 of the top 20 issues, including healthcare, housing, education, and immigration.

The Greens keep on top of climate change and environmental pollution/water concerns, while Te Pāti Māori is still seen most able handling Māori issues.

Photo / Supplied, Ipsos Issues Monitor

Healthcare remains the second biggest issue, though perceptions of both Labour and National’s ability to handle it have taken slight dips. Labour maintains a 15-point lead over National in this area.

The economy, housing/the price of housing, and crime/law and order round out the top five.

Concerns about unemployment have been steadily rising, with the latest survey now putting it joint-sixth with poverty/inequality on 19%.

That is a four-point rise from the most recent survey, and puts it just two points behind crime/law and order, which has been steadily tracking downwards (21%, down from 25% in the previous survey), along with perceptions of National’s ability to handle it (31%, down from 34%, but still ahead of Labour’s 24%).

Ratings of the Government’s performance have dipped back to 4.2 out of 10.

Photo / Supplied, Ipsos Issues Monitor

The study took place between August 11 to 18, with 1002 New Zealanders aged 18 or older asked what were the top three most important issues facing the country today.

The study was conducted using online research panels, and quotas were set to ensure representativeness. The total New Zealand results have a credibility interval of +/-3.5 percentage points.

– RNZ