Climate concerns continue, latest poll shows

The latest climate change poll by AMI, State and NZI Insurance shows New Zealanders are prepared to take action to prevent a repeat of the devastation wrought by 2023’s summer of storms.

The sixth year of climate polling by AMI, State and NZI again indicated elevated levels of concern about climate change, with 81% of respondents saying it was important to them, and 74% becoming more concerned about its impacts.*

Individual action ranked highly, with 71% saying that individuals must take responsibility for adapting to climate change, and 73% of respondents prepared to act to reduce its impacts.

In terms of an overall country response however, only 37% of people felt we are on the right track to reduce the impacts of climate change.

“The results continue to show that climate change remains a key concern for New Zealanders, and that we all have a role to play in reducing the growing impacts of our changing climate,” says Bryce Davies, Climate Change spokesperson, AMI, State and NZI. “It’s also clear that people are prepared to take individual actions in order to keep themselves and their families safe.”

The poll showed that the actions people are taking include:

• Finding out about the climate-related hazards to which their home is exposed and the impacts they could have.
• Using their knowledge of hazards and impacts when deciding where to live.
• Insuring their home and contents against the impacts of climate-related hazards.
• Taking steps to reduce the impacts of climate-related hazards on their home.
• Finding out how their local and regional councils are managing climate-related hazards.
• Accepting that they will need to pay more to reduce the impacts of climate-related hazards.
• Making sure they are prepared to respond when a natural disaster strikes.

When it comes to insurance, 72% stated that they are willing to accept higher premiums to live in high-risk locations, and 53% said they would accept the possibility of not being able to secure insurance if they chose to live in a high-risk location.

“People understand if we don’t adapt to climate change, there will be costs down the road - financially in terms of higher rates, taxes or insurance premiums, but more broadly too, in risk to lives and livelihoods,” says Mr Davies.

“The research clearly shows that we all have a role to play and that collectively, we can and should make urgent changes to the way we plan, build and maintain our built environments in order to keep ourselves safe.”

*The survey of 1,500 people was commissioned by IAG New Zealand and conducted by Ipsos Ltd in May 2023, after the North Island floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, but preceding government and council land reclassification announcements. The survey has a margin for error of ± (plus or minus) 3.1 per cent.