Public attitudes and action on energy and climate change: March 2023

Findings

The extreme weather events early in the year appear not to have shifted the dial on climate change beliefs and attitudes, and the cost of living remains top of the list. However, there is a desire among New Zealanders for the country as a whole to act, and to continue making progress against climate change.

One area it appears the heavy rain and flooding may have had an impact is a four-point increase in concern for the state of the country’s transport infrastructure.

Even after little movement in our beliefs, there is still appetite for New Zealand to continue taking action against climate change​, with just under half the sample believing that New Zealand is not making the right amount of progress. 

Electric vehicle consideration and favourability

Despite an all-time high in EV registrations, this quarter we haven’t seen growth in consideration in the total market.

The Consumer Monitor also shows a drop in the number of people who see EVs’ cheaper running costs as an incentive to buy – just 41%, a 9-point drop from the previous quarter. However, among EV owners, as shown in our recent EV charging survey, lower running costs remain the highest purchase driver.​​

Electric Vehicle Charging Survey