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Soaring living costs are forcing New Zealanders to cut back on luxuries - but many are also cutting back on basic necessities such as heating, a survey from Research New Zealand shows.
Five hundred people aged 15 and over were asked: "Given the cost of power is increasing, are you consciously cutting back on heating?"
Sixty-four per cent said they were.
The survey showed households with an annual income of under $40,000 were most likely to be cutting back on power, with 68 per cent responding yes to the question.
Of that income bracket, 25 per cent said no, 6 per cent said they did not use electricity for heating, and 1 per cent did not know.
Of households in the $70,000-plus bracket, 55 per cent said they were cutting back on heating, 35 per cent said they were not, and 9 per cent did not use electricity for heating.
- NZPA
