Following the emergence of Omicron in the community, New Zealanders’ support for reopening the border to international visitors has fallen. However, the majority still want to see the border reopen now, as research from Angus and Associates indicates.
The latest New Zealand results (January 2022) show a jump in the proportion of the New Zealand adult population who want the border to stay closed (up by 8 per cent on December to 34 per cent in January).
However, the majority of Kiwis (61 per cent) still support a reopening of the border now, most of this group – almost 90 per cent – with appropriate health measures in place (“e.g., fully vaccinated or with a negative COVID-19 test”).
The remaining 5 per cent of those interviewed in January were unsure about whether the border should be reopened.
Across the Tasman, there are early signs that sentiment is stabilising. In January 2022, an Angus and Associates survey shows that 65 per cent of Australian adults supported the border reopening (down 1 per cent since December 2021). Twenty six per cent believed the border should remain closed to all international visitors (unchanged).
The total survey sample for the period covered in this release (1 February 2021 – 31 January 2022) is n=3,054 New Zealanders and n=2,423 Australians. Respondents in both countries are aged 18 years or more and the sample is representative of the general population by age, gender and place of residence.
