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.
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 percent in December to 34 percent in January). However, the majority of Kiwis (61 percent) still support a reopening of the border now, most of this group – almost 90 percent – with appropriate health measures in place (“e.g., fully vaccinated or with a negative COVID-19 test”).
The remaining 5 percent 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, the survey shows that 65 percent of Australian adults supported the border reopening (down 1 percent since December 2021). 26 percent believed the border should remain closed to all international visitors (unchanged).
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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.
