Coronavirus continues to have a significant impact on New Zealand society. A lot has changed in a week – last Monday schools were open, the majority of New Zealanders were still travelling into work, and “lockdown bubble” had not entered our vocabulary. Over the weekend, Kantar continued our weekly pulse of consumer sentiment, attitudes and behaviours. Now at Alert Level 4, understanding consumer sentiment remains as important as ever. Summarised below are some of the key highlights from our most recent survey.

Kiwis recognise the need to be prepared and unified

When asked what statement best describes their current feelings, New Zealanders are practical in their response, saying that being prepared and well informed is front-of-mind. Nearly one third prioritise being unified and reacting to the crisis together, while very few New Zealanders are not taking the situation seriously.

While there is less concern about falling sick, and the physical health of others, apprehension about the mental health of family, friends and whanau is on the rise

The rise to Alert Level 4 has undoubtedly resulted in New Zealanders feeling more assured about the physical health of themselves and others. However, concern for the mental health of close acquaintances is becoming ever more apparent and, with uncertainty about how long it will be before the policies surrounding isolation are relaxed, there is a strong possibility that this worrying trend will continue.

Trusted sources of information

Three-quarters of New Zealanders say that they trust Government websites, such as www.covid19.govt.nz, with 59% saying national media channels are one of their most trusted sources of information. At the other end of the spectrum, only 8% say that social media is trustworthy.

Panic buying has reduced

Three quarters of Kiwis are confident they will still be able to get everything they need. Since the lockdown began, fewer Kiwis are worried about running out of essentials and end up stocking up more than they would normally, down from 21% a week ago to 14%.

Financial planning less concerning, but still a major issue

Financial planning is still a major concern for over half of New Zealanders. However, since the Government’s update of the financial package to include more New Zealanders under a wider range of circumstances and under fewer restrictions, there has been a significant reduction in concern about financial planning compared to a week ago.

Delivering more insights about consumers in these changing and challenging times

As part of our ongoing insights series into COVID-19, and its impact on New Zealand consumers and citizens, we will be continuing this regular update of the attitudes, opinions and behaviours of New Zealanders.

We are also running an agile qualitative panel. The panel will reflect the New Zealand population and we will engage with it every week or so on multiple topics, enabling Kantar to share with you more in-depth insight into the issues currently facing New Zealanders.