Results of the 2018 Quality of Life Survey have been released, showing 82 per cent of Aucklanders rate their overall quality of life positively, up from 79 per cent in 2016.

The survey, undertaken every two years, collects data on a range of current and topical issues relevant to residents’ wellbeing in urban New Zealand. Issues include perceptions of local neighbourhoods, housing, safety, public transport and economic standard of living.

Mayor Phil Goff says, “It’s great to see the vast majority of Aucklanders rate the quality of their life in our city positively, and that the numbers have improved over the last two years.

“Auckland is a fantastic city, but there are messages in the survey we need to heed.​

“Housing costs have gone up hugely over the last five years and while they have now stabilised, we need to make the city more affordable.

“That’s why the changes we are making with Government are so important – building more houses, focusing on the need for more affordable and social houses.

“People are right, the biggest safety problem in the city is to do with our roads. With a rapid increase in deaths and serious injuries on Auckland’s roads in recent years we are putting significantly more resources and priority into dealing with issues like speeding, running red lights and in making intersections and rural roads safer.

“Littering and illegal dumping of rubbish also stands out as a problem. We are cracking down on those who don’t give a damn about others or their environment with new measures like surveillance cameras and more prosecutions and infringement fines.

“We are committed to building on the strengths of our city which our growth figures show is a popular place to live, and to addressing the concerns people have.”​

More than 2800 Aucklanders completed the survey, revealing that the top three reasons many felt positive about their quality of life was their financial stability, relationships and health and wellbeing.

A total of 78 per cent of respondents think their city or local area is a great place to live and 61 per cent feel proud of how their local area looks and feels.

For housing, six in 10 Aucklanders agree their housing costs are unaffordable and eight in 10 agree the type of house or apartment they live in and the general area or neighbourhood their house or apartment is in, suits their needs.

In the crime section, the most commonly perceived problem is dangerous driving with 62 per cent of respondents reporting it was a concern. While the majority of Aucklanders feel safe in their home after dark (91 per cent), and in their city centre during the day (90 per cent) less than half of respondents (46 per cent) felt safe walking in the city centre alone after dark.

What is the Quality of Life survey?

The Quality of Life survey is a collaborative local government research project, which began in 2003 and has been undertaken every two years since 2004.

Nine councils participated in this year’s survey including Auckland Council, Hamilton, Tauranga, Hutt, Porirua, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin city councils, as well as Greater Wellington Regional Council. The 2018 survey measured the perceptions of over 7000 New Zealanders.

This year, 2848 Aucklanders aged 18 and over completed the survey. Fieldwork was conducted by research company Nielsen. All sample surveys are subject to sampling error and the Auckland wide results are subject to a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 per cent.

Auckland Council will use the survey to help inform policy and planning responses to population growth and change.

The full Quality of Life 2018 Auckland report can be found here and for a summary see here