What happened to Govt supporters in Auckland poll?

HorizonPoll panel member, John, of Auckland writes after seeing poll results on how Aucklanders rate the Government’s performance on a range of issues:

“Fascinating results for the poll into Government performance.

It’s a given that any Government is going to be marked down by the populace - Government is unpopular to many people by definition.

I have to say, in passing however, that it might be a good idea next time to try and get some input from the wider public and not just Labour supporters!

(Just kidding!  (I theeenk!)”

To which we have replied:

Thanks for your comments.

We thought the results were interesting, too, which is why we decided to release them.  

We don't go into these surveys with any preconception of what the results might turn out to be, but in measuring perceived performance of successive governments we've found over time that when supporters of the government do not think the government is performing well, they tend to give a neutral rating rather than a negative rating.  That is largely what seems to have happened in this case.  

However, when you dig into the detail in this survey, people who voted for the National Party in 2011 have given the government a nett thumbs down on:

• traffic congestion;
• public transport;
• the central rail link;
• affordable housing;
• services in "your street"; and
• managing relationships with Auckland Mayor Len Brown.

More importantly for the government, in my mind, is that in this survey people who voted for the National Party in 2011 give the government a nett thumbs down on listening to Aucklanders, as do ACT supporters, Maori Party supporters and United Future supporters.

So it is not just the supporters of opposition parties in the sample who feel this way!

Thanks again for your comments.  We appreciate you being an active member of the HorizonPoll panel and taking an interest in the results.

-       Grant McInman, Manager, Horizon Research

E-mail: gmcinman@horizonresearch.co.nz

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