2019
RIGHTS OF THE UNBORN CHILD / FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE
- 47% believe that a foetus should have human rights and be legally protected once a heartbeat can be detected (only 29% disagree), with the strongest support coming from Labour and National voters. 8% were neutral, and 15% were unsure or refused to say. 31% of those who generally support abortion agreed with heartbeat rights for the unborn.
- The poll also found that one in three respondents (36%) believe that life begins at conception, a further 9% in the first three months, and only 18% think it is when the child is born, as argued by some abortion advocates. Surprisingly, only 27% of those who generally support abortion believe that life begins at birth. 21% of abortion supporters admit that life begins at conception.
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- 78% believe that medical professionals with ethical objections should be lawfully allowed to opt out of performing or arranging abortions.
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SAME-SEX MARRIAGE FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE
- 61% said that marriage celebrants should not be required to perform same-sex weddings if these go against their personal convictions. 31% said they should.
- 59% said they supported faith-based organisations including mosques and temples not being required to host same-sex weddings in their buildings. 31% said they should have to.
- 59% said service providers such as photographers and caterers should not be required to supply their services to same-sex weddings if these go against their personal conviction. 35% said they should.
- 45% said that faith-based schools – whether, Christian, Jewish or Moslem – should not be required to teach that same sex marriages are equal to the marriage of a man and a woman. 44% said they should be.
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BIOLOGY v GENDER IDENTITY IN SCHOOLS
“Do you believe that children should be taught that their gender can be changed through surgery and hormone treatment if they want it to be?” 54% said children should not be taught this, 35% said they should, and a further 11% were unsure or refused to say. When asked whether schools allow children to choose the toilet, changing room and camp bunkroom they use based on their gender identity or their biological sex, 46% said it should be based on biological sex and 36% said gender identity. 18% were unsure or refused to say. Opinions were evenly matched when asked whether children play in sports teams based on their gender identity or their actual biological sex (39% for each option – 22% unsure).
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PUBLIC WI-FI BLOCKING PORN
“Should businesses including cafes and libraries that provide free Wi-Fi to the general public be required to have filters to block adult websites such as pornography?” 79% said yes, 16% opposed the requirement, and 5% were unsure or refused to say.
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SEX ED OPT-IN OR OPT-OUT?
“Some schools teach sex education. Would you prefer that the law be that this is to be taught to children unless their parents opt out, or that it only be taught to children whose parents opt in?” 34% said they wanted parents to “opt in”, just over half of respondents were happy with the status quo, and 11% were unsure or refused to say.
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SEX CHANGE OPERATIONS – TAXPAYER FUNDING
“Do you think the taxpayer should fund surgery and hormone treatments for people who wish to change their sex?” 63% opposed taxpayer funding, 27% supported it, and a further 11% were unsure or refused to say.
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2018
ABORTION
•Just 9% support the current legal limit for an abortion of 20 weeks. Only 4% believe it should be later than 20 weeks (including up to birth), as proposed by pro-abortion group ALRANZ. 50% think the time limit should be shorter than the current 20 weeks, and a further 36% were unsure. Of those who did pick a time limit, 15 weeks was the median choice
•65% of respondents agree that society should work together to reduce the number of abortions (only 17% disagree). Of those who generally support abortion, 63% agree with reducing the number of abortions (19% disagree). 74% of women agree (56% of men).
•86% support the current legal requirements of providers and premises having to be licensed (only 8% disagree). Of those who generally support abortion, 92% support these legal requirements. 95% of women agree (78% of men).
•90% oppose sex selective abortions (Only 4% support). Women are 94% opposed, and 91% of those who generally support abortion are opposed.
•76% support doctors being required to verify a woman seeking an abortion is not under any coercion from a 3rd party (8% opposed). Women are 83% in support (men 69%). Of those who generally support abortion, 84% support this legal requirement.
•52% say they generally support abortion and 29% oppose, 19% unsure. However, opposition to abortion exceeds support of abortion in areas of high deprivation (39% to 35%).
•49% support being able to have an abortion just because a woman doesn’t want to be a mother (38% opposed, 13% unsure). Respondents in high areas of deprivation are evenly split on the issue.
Women are more pro-life then men on most of the issues canvassed.
- A 2016 survey asked respondents whether they agreed with the following statement: “Women who have abortions risk harming their mental health as a result of the abortion.” Overall, 46% agreed with the statement, 21% were unsure or didn’t say, and only 33% disagreed. Significantly, strongest agreement with the statement came from the younger 18-40 age bracket (50%).
- A 2011 poll found that the majority of New Zealanders (64%) believe that women considering an abortion have the right to be fully informed of the medical risks of abortion – and the alternatives.
- A 2010 poll found that 79% of respondents think parents should be notified if their daughter aged under 16 is seeking an abortion. And a 2011 poll of 600 teenagers (15-21) nationwide found that 59% of young respondents thought the parents should be told if their school-age daughter is considering getting an abortion, so long as it won’t put her in physical danger. 56% of youth respondents also said they believe an unborn child or foetus has a right to be born. Slightly more young women than young men agreed – 58% to 55%.
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FAMILY DINNERS
•88% of respondents said that dinners together on a regular basis are important, with two out of three (67%) saying they were ‘very important’.
•Only 56% said they have dinner together at least five nights a week (5-7 nights). 10% were meeting six nights per week, and 29% were having dinner together every night of the week. 21% of the respondents were sitting down together only three nights or less.
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2017
PROSTITUTION
•76% say that local councils should have the ability to ban street prostitution in their local areas as they see appropriate.
•61% say brothels – including home-based brothels – should not be allowed to operate in residential areas
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PORNOGRAPHY
•71% of respondents think pornography overall is bad for society and only 4% good.
•68% say online depictions of sexual violence are very harmful to society and 90% say moderately or very harmful.
•72% says there is a fair bit or a lot of connection and 42% say there is a lot of connection between online pornography and public issues such as ‘rape culture’ and sexting.
•62% of adults say they have come across pornography online, when not seeking it out. 13% say this has happened often and 48% at least occasionally.
•91% say that it is too easy for under 18s to access online pornography.
•81% say that Internet Providers should be required by the Government to offer filters to block pornographic material.
•70% say that Internet Providers should automatically block pornography unless the customer opts out by turning off a filter.
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SEX EDUCATION
1. AGREE OR DISAGREE: I am or would be confident teaching my children about sex and sexuality issues
2. AGREE OR DISAGREE: Parents, not the Government, should have the final say on what sex education is provided in schools
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ANTI-SMACKING LAW
1. AGREE OR DISAGREE: It should be a criminal offence for a parent to give their child a smack that is reasonable and for the purpose of correction
2. AGREE OR DISAGREE: Regardless of the anti-smacking law, I would smack my child to correct their behaviour, if I thought it was reasonable to do so
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STAY-HOME PARENTING v CHILDCARE
1. AGREE OR DISAGREE: It is generally better for children when one of the parents can stay home as a full-time
parent
2. AGREE OR DISAGREE: As the Government presently subsidises Early Childhood Education, the Government
should also subsidise a parent who stays at home to care for a young child.
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2014
GROUP MARRIAGE
1. Parliament recently passed a law to allow marriage between couples of the same sex. Some people argue that based on an argument of equality, marriages should also be allowed between more than two people. How likely do you think it will be that Parliament someday could pass a law to allow group marriage between three or four people? Would you say very likely, likely, unlikely or highly unlikely?
2. Do you personally think the law should allow three or more people to marry each other?
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ANTI-SMACKING LAW
1. In 2007 Parliament passed a law that removes a defence of reasonable force for parents who smack a child to correct their behaviour, but states the Police have discretion not to prosecute if they consider the offence was inconsequential. Do you think the anti-smacking law should be changed to state explicitly that parents who give their children a smack that is reasonable and for the purpose of correction are not breaking the law?
2. If a political party promised that amending the law to allow light correctional smacking was a non-negotiable policy at the next general election, would that make you more likely to vote for them, or less likely, or make no difference to your likely vote?
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MID-2013
DECRIMINALISATION OF MARIJUANA
If an adult wishes to use a drug such as marijuana, they should be able to do so legally
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HOMECARE v CHILDCARE
It is better for children at pre-school age to be cared for at home by a parent or relative, rather than be in a childcare centre
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REDEFINING MARRIAGE
There was no need for Parliament to change the definition of marriage to allow same-sex couples to marry, as civil unions were sufficient for same sex couples.
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MUM AND DAD MATTER
A mother and a father are both equally important to a child’s development
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INCOME SPLITTING
A married couple should be able to split their income between them, for tax purposes, so that a couple with say one spouse earning $80,000 would pay the same tax as a couple where both spouses work and earn $40,000 each
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EUTHANASIA / PALLIATIVE CARE
If someone really wants to die, doctors should be allowed to help them kill themselves
If the Government spent more on quality palliative care for people with terminal illnesses, almost no one would die in prolonged pain or suffering
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2013
SAME SEX MARRIAGE
In 2004, Parliament legislated to allow same sex couples to register a civil union, amending over 150 pieces of legislation to give legal rights and recognition to same-sex couples. Do you think Parliament should change the definition of marriage to allow same-sex couples to marry, or do you think civil unions are sufficient for same sex couples?
Do you think any change to the Marriage Act to allow same-sex marriages should be subject to a binding referendum of voters?
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If the Marriage Act is changed to allow same-sex couples to marry, should all marriage celebrants, including ministers of all religions, be required to perform same-sex weddings even if these go against their personal convictions?
If the Marriage Act is changed to allow same-sex couples to marry, should temples, mosques, churches and other places of faith all be required to allow same-sex ‘marriages’ in their buildings?
If the Marriage Act is changed to allow same-sex couples to marry, should all faith-based schools – whether, Christian, Jewish or Moslem etc – all be required to teach that same-sex marriage is equal to traditional marriage of a man and a woman.
If the Marriage Act is changed to allow same-sex couples to marry, should individual teachers in state schools who have a personal belief against same-sex marriage be forced to teach their students that same-sex ‘marriage’ is equal to traditional marriage?
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ADOPTION PRIORITY
Should families where there is both a mum and a dad have priority for the adoption of babies and children?
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PAID PARENTAL LEAVE
A bill before Parliament is asking for paid parental leave to be raised from the current 14 weeks to 26 weeks. It is estimated this would cost the Government an extra $145 million a year to fund. Do you think paid parental leave should stay at 14 weeks or be extended to 26 weeks?
Would you support or oppose a proposal to provide Government paid parental leave of 2 weeks to fathers as well as mothers. It is estimated to cost around $20 million a year.
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DRINKING AGE
Do you think Parliament should have raised the drinking age to 20 or kept it at 18?
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BROTHEL LOCATIONS
Should Councils have the power to prevent brothels being established in central city areas frequented by families and tourists?
POKIE MACHINES
A bill before Parliament proposes to allow councils to cut the number of pokie machines in areas where they are thought to be particularly harmful. Do you support this proposal or not?
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G-RATED BILLBOARDS
Would you support or oppose a law to require all large public billboards to be G-rated, or
suitable for children to view?
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2012
POLLING OF TEENS 15-21 y/o
BROADCASTING STANDARDS
Do you agree or disagree with this statement – that there is too much sex, bad language and violence on television
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DRINKING AGE
Do you think the age at which someone can purchase alcohol should remain at 18 or be raised to 20?
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SEX EDUCATION, ABORTION, AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION
Do you think sex education in schools should teach values, abstinence and consequences such as pregnancy, or just teach safe sex?
Provided it won’t put the girl in physical danger, should parents be told if their school-age daughter is pregnant and considering getting an abortion?
Do you believe an unborn child or foetus has a right to be born?
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2011
CHILD ABUSE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY
Do you think an independent Commission of Inquiry into the wider causes of child abuse and family violence in NZ should be established by the Government?
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ABORTION ADVICE
Would you support a law that would require a woman considering an abortion to first see a doctor, who is not an abortion provider, to be informed of the medical risks and alternatives to abortion?
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INDEPENDENT COMPLAINTS AUTHORITY FOR CYF
Do you think the Government should establish an independent Complaints Authority similar to the Independent Police Complaints Authority to hear complaints about Child Youth and Family (CYFs) from families who feel they have been unfairly treated by Child Youth and Family?
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RESIDENTIAL BROTHELS
Should the prostitution laws be amended to specifically ban brothels in residential areas?
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STREET PROSTITUTION
Should the prostitution laws be amended to specifically ban street prostitution?
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BINDING CIR
Do you think citizens’ initiated referenda should be binding on Parliament?
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DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE
The law currently defines marriage as being only allowable between a man and a woman? Do you support this?
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SAME SEX ADOPTION
Do you think same sex couples should be allowed to adopt children?
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2010
BROADCASTING STANDARDS
Television broadcasters are obliged to protect children from sexual content, violent material, and language that exceeds current norms of good taste and decency. Are you concerned about the type of language used, or the level of violence and sex shown on TV before 8.30 pm when children are likely to be watching?
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PARENTAL NOTIFICATION FOR ABORTIONS?
Should the law require parents to always be informed before-hand if their daughter who is under 16 is pregnant and wants to have an abortion?
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ABSTINENCE
Do you think schools, as part of their sex education programme, should be required to encourage pupils, to abstain from sex until they are old enough to handle the possible consequences of pregnancy?
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CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN SCHOOLS
Do you think a school should be able to choose to use corporal punishment, if the Board, Parents and Principal wish to have this as an option for school discipline?
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CHILDCARE SUBSIDIES
The Government subsidises 20 hours of care per week for 3 and 4 year old pre-schoolers in child-care centres. Should the Government give a similar subsidy to a parent who chooses not to send their children to a child-care centre but foregoes income by staying at home to look after the children themselves?
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