Ipsos NZ Health Services Report 2024

Aotearoa, 10 October 2024 – Three-quarters of New Zealanders (76%) believe that the country’s healthcare system is overstretched, with 62% saying that understaffing is the biggest problem facing the sector. Both of these figures are significantly higher than the 31-country global average (64% say the healthcare system in their country is overstretched, 45% identified not enough staff as the biggest issue), and are consistent with results from the 2023 survey (75% and 64% respectively). Additionally, New Zealanders are also increasingly concerned about appointment wait times, with 73% agreeing that they are too long (from 66% in 2023).

The Ipsos Global Health Service Monitor has been run on a regular basis in around 30 markets globally since 2018. The survey was conducted in New Zealand for the first time in 2023 and this year, it includes a sample of n=1,000 New Zealanders. Fieldwork was conducted between 26 July and 9 August 2024.

For the second year in a row, mental health is identified as the number one health issue in New Zealand, with over half of New Zealanders (59%) rating it as their biggest concern. Concern for mental health is highest among Gen Z (68%) and Gen X (65%) and is on the rise from 2023 (61% and 62% respectively).

Cancer (38%) and obesity (30%) ranked as the second and third biggest health issue among New Zealanders, and, notably, concern for obesity (30%) and stress (22%%) have increased significantly compared to this time last year (26% and 17%, respectively). Interestingly, however, New Zealanders tend to overestimate the country’s obesity rates in New Zealand by around 10 percentage points.

Half of New Zealanders surveyed (49%) rated our healthcare system as very good or good – higher than the global average of44%. However, only 20% expect the quality of healthcare they have access to will improve over the coming years (vs. 28% global average) while 32% think it will get worse (vs. 21% global average).

Concern around trust and equity appear to be growing, with fewer people saying they trust the system to provide them with the best treatment (46% vs. 53% in 2023) and that the healthcare system provides the same care for everyone (38% vs. 43% in 2023). Affordability is also perceived to be a major issue, with 67% holding the view that many people in the country cannot afford good healthcare (vs. 61% global average).

Conversely, New Zealanders are significantly less concerned about bureaucracy (16% vs. 22% global average) and have much better access to local pharmacies (83% vs. 77% global average).

Carin Hercock, Managing Director, Ipsos New Zealand, said: “New Zealanders are more concerned about healthcare than their global counterparts. While New Zealanders generally have a more favorable view of their healthcare system, there is growing concern about wait times and higher than average concerns about overstretching and understaffing in the system.”

Amanda Dudding, Research Director, Public Affairs, Ipsos New Zealand, added: “Mental health is considered the biggest health issue facing New Zealanders, especially by women. This perception is well above the global average and New Zealand now sits in the top 5 countries who see mental health as their biggest health problem”

About the Study

These are the results of a 31-country survey conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform and, in India, on its IndiaBus platform, between Friday, July 26 and Friday, August 9, 2024. For this survey, Ipsos interviewed a total of 23,667 adults aged 18 years and older in India, 18-74 in Canada, Republic of Ireland, Malaysia, South Africa, Türkiye, and the United States, 20-74 in Thailand, 21-74 in Indonesia and Singapore, and 16-74 in all other countries. 

The sample consists of approximately 1,500 individuals each in Germany and Brazil, and 1,000 individuals each in Australia, Canada, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, and the U.S., and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, and Türkiye. The sample in India consists of approximately 2,200 individuals, of whom approximately 1,800 were interviewed face-to-face and 400 were interviewed online. 

Samples in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.S. can be considered representative of their general adult populations under the age of 75. Samples in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and Türkiye are more urban, more educated, and/or more affluent than the general population. The survey results for these countries should be viewed as reflecting the views of the more “connected” segment of their population.

India’s sample represents a large subset of its urban population — social economic classes A, B and C in metros and tier 1-3 town classes across all four zones. 

The data is weighted so that the composition of each country’s sample best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data. “The Global Country Average” reflects the average result for all the countries and markets in which the survey was conducted. It has not been adjusted to the population size of each country or market and is not intended to suggest a total result.

When percentages do not sum up to 100 or the ‘difference’ appears to be +/-1 percentage point more/less than the actual result, this may be due to rounding, multiple responses, or the exclusion of “don't know” or not stated responses.

The precision of Ipsos online polls is calculated using a credibility interval with a poll where N=1,000 being accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and of where N=500 being accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points. For more information on Ipsos' use of credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website.