New poll has Labour leading National on most important issues, including economy

Author: Adam Pearse,
Publish Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2026, 7:46am

Chris Hipkins' (right) Labour Party is considered more capable at managing the most important issues than Christopher Luxon's National Party. Photo / NZME

Vote 2026

Labour is considered the party most capable of addressing the five most important issues facing New Zealanders, reclaiming authority from National on managing the economy.

The latest Ipsos Issues Monitor survey, which polled 1002 people, shows Labour is trusted to manage the top-five issues: inflation/cost of living, health, the economy, housing and unemployment.

In its previous survey in May, National was considered the most capable to manage the economy but lost to Labour on the other four.

Of the 20 issues included in the survey, Labour was considered the most capable for 16 of them. The only issue National was considered more capable than Labour was crime, although the two parties were considered equally capable of managing defence/foreign affairs.

The Green Party was considered more capable of managing the environment and climate change, while Te Pāti Māori held the authority over Māori issues.

Inflation/cost of living remained the most important issue cited by respondents, which has persisted in every Ipsos survey since August 2025. Together with health and the economy, those three issues have been considered the most important since February 2025.

Broken down by age group, inflation/cost of living was the primary issue for all age groups, except those above 65 years of age, who felt health was more important.

There was more variance in the second-most-important issue chosen by the different generations. For those between 18-34, it was unemployment. For those between 35-49, it was the economy. For those aged 50-64, it was health and for those over 65, it was inflation/cost of living.

The survey noted several distinctions when considering gender. It highlighted how 13% of men aged between 18-34 felt immigration was among the most important issues, while just 4% of women in that age group did.

Women of that age group considered health more important than men did, with 30% naming it as a top issue, compared with 18% of young men. Women caring more about health than men was also observed in two of the three other age groups.

Another notable difference was 12% of men over 65 felt race relations was among the most important issues, compared with just 5% of women over 65.

The ranking of issues was largely consistent with the May survey, although fuel prices had dropped in importance amid the ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The survey was concluded before the conflict recommenced.

Survey respondents also held a similar view of the Government’s performance, giving a mean score of 4.1 out of 10, down slightly from 4.2 in the May poll.

Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.