News
Referendum poll: 69.3% against partial state asset sales
24 Oct 13
A poll using the question being asked in the November-December referendum finds 69.3% will vote against partial sale of state assets.
30.7% say yes when asked “do you support the Government selling up to 49% of Meridian Energy, Mighty River Power, Genesis Power, Solid Energy and Air New Zealand?”
Though the referendum result does not bind the Government, if the referendum does not result in a majority for the partial asset sales, 57.3% want asset sales underway to be cancelled and no more assets sold.
The nationwide Horizon Research survey of 2,771 respondents aged 18+, conducted between October 17 and 23, 2013, finds 23.8% want asset sales which are underway to continue and but no further sales of the assets while 15.8% want the Government to carry on with the sales.
The citizens initiated referendum on the partial sale of state assets will be held by postal ballot from Friday 22 November until Friday 13 December this year after a petition was signed by 10 per cent, or nearly 400,000, of eligible voters.
National and Act voters will support the sales by 61.9% and 73.5% respectively. 37.1% of National voters are against the sales.
Labour (93.2%) and Green (94.4%) voters are firmly against the sales, along with 92.7% of New Zealand First voters, 71.7% of Conservative party and 54.8% of United Future voters.
National supporters, however split almost evenly three ways on what to do if there is a no vote in the referendum: 33.8% say keep selling, 33.9% say complete sales underway but then stop and 29.8% say cancel any sales underway and do not sell more of these assets.
84% of Labour voters want all sales to stop if a majority is against sales.
The results are weighted by age, gender, ethnicity, personal income, educational status and party vote 2011 to provide a representative sample of the New Zealand adult population at the 2006 census and last general election. At a 95% confidence level the maximum margin of error is +/- 1.9%.
Top line results are:
We'd like you to answer the actual question in the referendum (there's no Don't Know option):
Do you support the Government selling up to 49% of Meridian Energy, Mighty River Power, Genesis Power, Solid Energy and Air New Zealand?
|
A. |
Yes |
|
30.7% |
|
|
B. |
No |
|
69.3% |
If the referendum shows there is less than majority support for selling up to 49% of Meridian Energy, Mighty River Power, Genesis Power, Solid Energy and Air New Zealand, what do you think the Government should do?
|
A. |
Carry on with selling 49% of these assets regardless of the referendum result |
|
15.4% |
|
|
B. |
Continue with any asset sales that are under way but not sell any more of these assets |
|
23.8% |
|
|
C. |
Cancel any asset sales that are under way and do not sell any more of these assets |
|
57.3% |
|
|
D. |
Something else (please tell us what that is) |
|
3.6% |
Results by party vote 2011
|
HorizonPoll October 2013 |
||||
|
REFERENDUM ON THE PARTIAL SALE OF STATE ASSETS A citizens initiated referendum on the partial sale of state assets will be held by postal ballot from Friday 22 November until Friday 13 December this year after a petition was signed by 10 per cent, or nearly 400,000, of eligible voters. The referendum will ask whether New Zealanders support the Government's sale of up to 49 per cent of Meridian, Mighty River Power, Genesis Power, Solid Energy and Air New Zealand. The result of the referendum is not binding on the Government. We'd like you to answer the actual question in the referendum (there's no Don't Know option):
|
||||
|
|
|
A |
B |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
ALL |
|
30.7% |
69.3% |
|
|
|
||||
|
ACT New Zealand |
|
73.5% |
26.5% |
|
|
Chose not to vote |
|
26.5% |
73.5% |
|
|
Conservative |
|
28.3% |
71.7% |
|
|
Don't know or can't remember |
|
14.7% |
85.3% |
|
|
Green Party |
|
5.6% |
94.4% |
|
|
Labour Party |
|
6.8% |
93.2% |
|
|
Mana Party |
|
4% |
96% |
|
|
Maori Party |
|
7.5% |
92.5% |
|
|
National Party |
|
62.9% |
37.1% |
|
|
New Zealand First Party |
|
7.3% |
92.7% |
|
|
Other party |
|
32.3% |
67.7% |
|
|
United Future |
|
45.2% |
54.8% |
|
|
Was not eligible to vote |
|
19.8% |
80.2% |
|
|
Q6. If the referendum shows there is less than majority support for selling up to 49% of Meridian Energy, Mighty River Power, Genesis Power, Solid Energy and Air New Zealand, what do you think the Government should do? |
||||||
|
|
|
A |
B |
C |
D |
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
ALL |
|
15.4% |
23.8% |
57.3% |
3.6% |
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
ACT New Zealand |
|
73.3% |
19.5% |
7.2% |
|
|
|
Chose not to vote |
|
6.2% |
36.4% |
57% |
0.4% |
|
|
Conservative |
|
17.1% |
16% |
65.1% |
1.9% |
|
|
Don't know or can't remember |
|
6.4% |
17.9% |
68.9% |
6.8% |
|
|
Green Party |
|
1.6% |
12.8% |
76.8% |
8.8% |
|
|
Labour Party |
|
2% |
9.9% |
84% |
4.2% |
|
|
Mana Party |
|
4% |
|
92.6% |
3.4% |
|
|
Maori Party |
|
5.7% |
16.3% |
76.8% |
1.1% |
|
|
National Party |
|
33.8% |
33.9% |
29.8% |
2.5% |
|
|
New Zealand First Party |
|
4.6% |
9.9% |
78.8% |
6.7% |
|
|
Other party |
|
32.3% |
11.1% |
56.5% |
|
|
|
United Future |
|
24.3% |
24.4% |
50.3% |
1.1% |
|
|
Was not eligible to vote |
|
17% |
21.9% |
58.4% |
2.7% |
|
For further information please contact Grant McInman, Manager, Horizon Research Limited
E-mail: gmcinman@horizonresearch.co.nz, telephone 021076 2040.
HorizonPoll Online Survey system
and website developed by BEWEB
Copyright © 2010. HorizonPoll incorporating ShapeNZ - Listening to New Zealand
