Attitude to and belief about government responsiveness

Age differences

Young people expressed positive views about the ability of people to influence government decision-making relative to other age groups. 

The 18-24 age group was more likely than older age groups to agree with all three of the statements regarding the influence of individuals on political and governmental processes.

However, other findings from the New Zealand Values Study indicate that while a number of young people feel that government is responsive, they are much less likely than other age groups to have an interest in traditional political processes.

Beliefs about the responsiveness of government, by age group, 2005
  Proportion of people in age group that agreed with each statement (%)
  18-24 years 25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 years 65+ years
The average person has considerable influence on politics 31.8 22.3 20.0 21.4 22.3 25.5
The average person has a great deal of influence on the government 24.4 21.9 15.9 16.4 13.4 17.5
The government is generally responsive to public opinion 56.0 47.2 46.5 51.0 43.8 44.7

Source: Public Life Values (2005).