Kerry Vaughan, 43, a Howick mother and marketing manager, summed up the mood. "The world's falling apart but we seem to be doing okay," she said. "The economy is kind of holding."
Even in Christchurch, people are relieved that most jobs and businesses have survived the city's earthquakes.
"We've all got jobs, haven't we? And we seem to be doing better than most countries," said Christchurch painter Craig Nuttall, 46.
But this time, in contrast to surveys before the previous three elections, our reporters also found a significant minority of New Zealanders who do not have jobs or feel that they are struggling to cope with soaring living costs.
Neville Dwyer, 60, of Dunedin, is one of 254,300 people - 10.3 per cent of the total potential workforce - classed as officially unemployed or "jobless" in September quarter statistics issued this week.
"I have been out of work for three years. I can't get a job anywhere," he says. "I'm good for nothing by the employers' estimation. I just have to resign myself to the fact that I won't work again."
At the other end of the country, Jun Kong, 48, and her husband are hanging on to their clothing alteration business at Botany in South Auckland - but only just.
"The economy is going down, down, down, not feeling right," she said.
"We are small business owners, we hardly survive. The last two years were very bad. We were expecting the World Cup would give us more business, but it did not."
The survey found that Prime Minister John Key is not blamed for the recession - or, of course, for the earthquakes. But he is credited with steering the country through both crises.
"I think we're in good hands with John Key," said Albany doctor Teresa Cattin, 54. "It needed a businessman to navigate us through this global financial crisis."
Thames floor sander Daniel Marshall, 31, said: "I was usually a Labour supporter but I'm quite happy with how John Key has been doing things. He's not in it for the money, he's in there to help people, seems like a pretty genuine guy."
Labour leader Phil Goff was not mentioned at all by most people, and not one of those who did mention him had anything positive to say.
Labour has made some impact with its campaign against National's plan to sell shares in some state enterprises, but many voters who raised the issue still planned to vote for National anyway.
The survey found 43 per cent support for National - less than telephone polls this week which gave the party 54 and 56 per cent.
But the street sample probably under-stated National support as it covered more young people and fewer older people than their proportion in the general population.
For the same reasons the survey may have over-stated support for Labour, at 31 per cent, and for the Greens, at 14 per cent. No other parties gained more than 3 per cent.
