Statistics reveal most Kiwis 'satisfied' with life.

A way to gain a good idea about anything is to discover the average opinion, opinions of impartial persons whom provide honest and genuine answers. Many people now will not make a purchase without reading online reviews for example and so things like nationwide surveys are wholly interesting to build up an idea of a country based on inside information.

Last year 2013 was the year of International statistics, and it so happened to fall with the first nationwide census of New Zealand in the past seven years, along with a whole load of published recent surveys New Zealanders now are more clued up than ever about facts and figures relating to them and their country, and on the whole it’s all good stuff. Results have recently been revealed after 12 months of collecting and calculating data.

The census, which should have been carried out in 2011 but was postponed due to the Canterbury earthquake, reveals that a quarter of all New Zealanders today were born overseas. The number of Asian migrants in the country has more than doubled since the census of 2011 and Hindi has now made it into the top four languages spoken here.

A census is a vital source of information regarding all aspects of our country and it is of the essence that we take note and monitor all changes between censuses to see the pattern emerge of where New Zealand is heading. For example, if the current migration rate continues to rise will migrants in New Zealand soon become the majority of residents and what will this mean for the country?

Coinciding with the results of the census, which although does not solely focus on population rates that is the essence, the General Society Survey also discloses their findings across all aspects of well being, employment, health, accommodation and many smaller facts which may seem insignificant on first glance but they paint a picture of who we are as New Zealanders.

A figure revealed which is way above the OECD average is that almost 90% of New Zealanders were either ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their lives. Over a one fifth of those surveyed said that they were financially comfortable, had good homes and were in good physical and mental health. More than ¾ also said they do not feel lonely.