Most Bay people satisfied, but trust, loneliness concern

Councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, of the Rotorua Lakes Council, said the figures showed things were on the right track. Photo/File

Almost 85 per cent of Bay of Plenty residents are satisfied with their lives - but loneliness, safety and trust are a concern for many.

These figures come from the largest social survey in the country - the General Social Survey, released by Statistics New Zealand every two years.

Its purpose is to measure individuals' perceptions of their lives, looking beyond purely economic reasons.

Statistics New Zealand was able to break the figures down for the wider Bay of Plenty, but the number of respondents in smaller areas, such as Rotorua, was too small to report with an acceptable degree of accuracy.

The vast majority of residents in the wider Bay were satisfied with their lives - 84 per cent of people rated their overall satisfaction a seven out of 10 or above, including 18 per cent who rated it a 10 out of 10. This was slightly higher than the average around the country.

Rotorua district councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, who holds the portfolio for people, said the figures were pleasing on the whole.

"The statistics confirm what we have been feeling and experiencing in Rotorua over the last few years. It is good to have statistics to confirm that as a council we are on the right track," she said.

More than four in five people said their health was good, very good or excellent. Thirty-eight per cent of people said they had felt at least a little lonely in the past four weeks - better than the national average of 40 per cent.

Acceptance of a neighbour of a different religion (86 per cent of people comfortable or very comfortable), sexual orientation (83 per cent), ethnicity (86 per cent) and language (78 per cent) indicated the vast majority of Bay residents had a healthy view of diversity, but these were slightly below the national average.

"What does stand out, and is so pleasing, is that Rotorua has a high level of acceptance of diversity in culture and language. We welcome and value diversity," said Ms Raukawa-Tait.

Ratings for trust, safety and acceptance of diversity were lower than other figures - with some below the national average.

People were slightly more distrustful in the Bay than the rest of the country. One in three people rated their trust in others at a six out of 10 or below, with 12 per cent rating their trust between a zero and four, compared to the national average of 8.5 per cent.

Bay of Plenty residents were slightly less socially connected than others. Just over 60 per cent of people had face-to-face contact with family each week, and 69 per cent with friends, both less often than others around the country.

The percentage of people who felt very safe or safe walking alone after dark (56 per cent versus 60 nationally) and using public transport at night (44 per cent versus 52) were both below average.

"[Rotorua residents] still remain concerned about housing availability and affordability so we have had to ensure we can better support our consents processes and get alongside developers and financiers as early as possible. We are talking to government agencies about their needs as well."

Nationally, on a 0-10 scale, the three highest-rated answers were a sense of belonging to family, the importance of natural scenery and environment, and the importance of freedom, rights and peace in defining New Zealand (all 9.1 out of 10).