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The New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study
The New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (NZAVS) is a 20-year longitudinal national study of social attitudes, personality and health outcomes of more than 70,000 New Zealanders. The NZAVS is curated by Professor Chris Sibley and involves researchers from universities across New Zealand.
About the Study
Overview
The New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (NZAVS) is an annual longitudinal national probability panel study of social attitudes, personality, ideology and health outcomes. The NZAVS began in 2009 and is curated by Professor Chris Sibley. It includes questionnaire responses from more than 70,000 New Zealand residents. The study includes researchers from many New Zealand universities, including the University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Canterbury, the University of Otago, and Waikato University. Because the survey asks the same people to respond each year, it can track subtle change in attitudes and values over time, and is an important resource for researchers both in New Zealand and around the world. The NZAVS is university-based, not-for-profit and independent of political or corporate funding.
Please refer to the NZAVS OSF research page hosted on the Open Science Framework for more detailed information about the study. The NZAVS OSF research page includes detailed documentation and materials, including sampling procedures, the data dictionary and survey key, copies of all questionnaires, a bibliography of published papers using NZAVS data, statistical syntax and others supplementary materials for published papers, a detailed list of researchers involved in the study, a list of Frequently Asked Questions, details about the NZAVS graduate lab, and many other resources for researchers interested in colloborating on research using NZAVS data.
Mission Statement
The NZAVS is a scientific study led by New Zealanders, for New Zealanders, and about New Zealanders. Broadly stated, the study aims to extend our understanding of how people and their life circumstances change over time in New Zealand.
The NZAVS began in 2009 and tracks change in various social, psychological and health factors each year. By tracking change, we can understand the factors that predict how peoples’ opinions, values, mental health, wellbeing, personality, life circumstances, and so forth change gradually, and sometimes also rapidly and dramatically in response to current events. Knowing about how people are changing over time, and also across generations, can help us to see social issues that may be on the horizon, before they become serious issues. By doing so, the NZAVS aims to provide a barometer tracking the social engagement, health and wellbeing of New Zealanders and our society.
Research Reports
The NZAVS aims to provide data of use for New Zealand. We are open to requests for tailored research reports or policy briefs that can help inform understanding of the New Zealand population, how attitudes and wellbeing are changing, possible challenges facing specific populations in New Zealand, and so forth. Please contact Chris Sibley (c.sibley@auckland.ac.nz) if you would like to discuss this further.
Are you a participant in the NZAVS?
Get in touch
If you have moved in the last year, or haven't heard from us for a while then please get in touch and we will post you a questionnaire. Thanks for taking part in the NZAVS!
Email: nzavs@auckland.ac.nz
Questionnaire: Complete the NZAVS online
Have a question?
If you are a participant in the NZAVS and want to ask a question about the study then please email us. We are happy to answer questions about the study, how we protect your data, or anything else research related.
You can also read our FAQ
Participant Confidentiality
Here at the NZAVS we take our participants’ confidentiality very seriously. All personal details are encrypted and stored separately from questionnaire data. Only Professor Chris Sibley and trusted research assistants working on the NZAVS in secure conditions have access to participants' contact details. Participants’ contact details are used solely for the purposes of contacting them to continue their participation in the NZAVS each year and to provide them with information and feedback about research findings from the NZAVS.
Ethics Approval Details
The NZAVS is reviewed every three years by the University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee. Our most recent ethics approval statement is as follows: The New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study was approved by the University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee on 26/05/2021 for six years until 26/05/2027, Reference Number UAHPEC22576.
Contact Details
For more information about the NZAVS please contact:
Professor Chris Sibley
Email: nzavs@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 7498
