New Zealanders’ Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples 2016 Annual Survey
The AsiaNZ Foundation has just released the New Zealanders’ Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples 2016 Annual Survey. This report presents the results of a survey of the general public in New Zealand, conducted during late July and early August 2016. Most New Zealanders think Asia is important to our future and are optimistic about the impacts of interactions with the Asian region. Asia was viewed as one of the most important regions for New Zealand’s future. Similarly, most New Zealanders (84 percent) agreed that developing cultural and economic ties with the peoples and countries of Asia is important for New Zealand.
Interviews showed evidence that we are becoming a more integrated and inclusive society with half of New Zealanders saying that they have a fair amount of involvement with Asian peoples or cultures. Unsurprisingly, Aucklanders were more involved with Asian peoples. Those who had higher levels of involvement tended to be more confident about their own levels of knowledge about Asia, and tended to be more interested in finding out more about Asian culture, history, and peoples.
