Background on the New Zealand Election Study
Through the analysis of political behaviour over six successive New Zealand elections, we have been monitoring the democratic process in New Zealand during a period of social and economic change and, most particularly, during the transition between electoral systems: the first past the post (FPP) or plurality electoral system in effect in New Zealand from the origins of the political system, and the new Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system which is in effect from the 1996 election. More recent work now focuses on campaign effects and the role of the media with the support of the Marsden Fund. Work is continuing on more fundamental questions about how New Zealanders perceive the political process in New Zealand.

The NZES began in its present form in 1990, continued in 1993, 1996, 1999, and 2002 and its most recent study includes the 2005 general election. The NZES's main source of data are questionnaires which are posted to randomly selected registered electors across the country immediately following each election. Questions focus on voting choices, political opinions, and social and demographic characteristics.

Data from the NZES programme are available for secondary analysis. Data can be downloaded directly from this website free of charge. Click here for instructions. These data are also deposited at the Australian Social Science Data Archives at the Australian National University, Canberra and with the University of Auckland’s New Zealand Social Science Data Service (NZSSDS).

Plans for the 2008 Election Study
A 2008 Election Study is at the planning stage, with a draft questionnaire having gone through an initial period of consultation. It will include module 3 of the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES) programme. Quotations have been solicited from organisations capable of carrying out the mailing and administration of the survey. Some funding from the University of Auckland and the Electoral Commission is confirmed, but more is needed to conduct the election study with a sample size equivalent to that of the last study in 2005.

For this reason, we invite proposals to ‘buy in’ to the survey, which could involve addition of a small number of questions or simply early access to the data prior to public release. Inquiries should be sent in the first instance to Professor Jack Vowles.

The 2005 Election
New Zealand's fourth election under MMP was held on September 17, 2005. It was much more closely fought than recent New Zealand elections. Official results can be found here, and in more detail at the New Zealand elections website. The 2005 New Zealand Election contains two main elements. The first is our standard post-election survey, with questionnaires sent by post to several thousand New Zealanders. This was funded by the University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, and the New Zealand Electoral Commission.

The dataset contains 3743 respondents, of whom 1130 are an oversample from the seven Maori electorates. Part of the data is a three-wave panel to 1999 (767 respondents) and a four-wave panel to 1996 (397 respondents). Tables from the data may be obtained on request from the collaborators on the basis of marginal costs.

The second element of the 2005 NZES was more experimental, and took place on the internet only, in two waves, one immediately before the election, and another after the final results were announced. Preliminary results from the pre-election wave can be found here. Unlike most internet surveys, this was based on a random sample of enrolled voters, to whom postcards were sent during the final week of the campaign. The first-wave response rate was just over 10 per cent, and reflected surprisingly well the age and gender breakdown of the electorate. Work is continuing on this sample to determine if it may be a viable method of administering a campaign survey at the next election.

The 2002 Election
New Zealand's third election under MMP was held on July 27, 2002. Voters' Veto: The 2002 Election in New Zealand and the Consolidation of Minority Government, edited by Jack Vowles, Peter Aimer, Susan Banducci, Jeffrey Karp, and Raymond Miller and published by Auckland University Press is available from various sources. You can view the preface here. Please contact the publisher for further information about ordering: aup@auckland.ac.nz.