New research from Massey University shows most Kiwis support regional or national lockdowns if there are new community Covid-19 infections in New Zealand.
The nationwide survey was conducted by senior lecturer Jagadish Thaker in February and March 2021, with nearly 1100 respondents.
Of those, 94 per cent supported regional lockdowns, with 81 per cent support for national lockdowns should new outbreaks arise.
Thaker credited the New Zealand publics engagement with official health advice, along with border measures, for halting the pandemic here.
The prevalence of Covid-19 protective behaviours and support for government measures is indicative of the effectiveness of excellent communication from trusted health experts and government sources, Thaker says.
A majority of Kiwis rate that the government communication on Covid-19 as simple, clear, empathetic, kind, trustworthy key principles of effective public health communication.
His comments come as the survey found around seven in 10 or 68 per cent of people said they wore a mask in public to help protect themselves or others from getting sick.
This is a sharp increase from the June-July 2020 survey where about half (48 per cent) said they sometimes, often, or always wore a mask when in public spaces, the study states.
The number of people hesitant to take a Covid-19 vaccine has also reduced, down to just 12 per cent of people from around a quarter in June-July last year.
