Fuel prices climb to third in latest Ipsos poll, with Labour ahead on the top issues
Concern about fuel prices has risen sharply among New Zealanders, moving into the top three issues in the October Ipsos Issues Monitor, a regular survey of what people say matters most to them. RNZ reported that 31% named fuel prices as a concern, up 14 points from October's previous result and from seventh place to third.
Cost of living and inflation remained the top concern, at 64%, up one point to a new high. Healthcare was second at 45%, up one point. Concern about the economy fell 4 points to 30%, and concern about unemployment fell 2 points to 19%.
The Post reported that concern about petrol prices reached a record 31% in October, and that health worries also hit a record high in the pre-election poll. The Post reported that Labour's lead on fuel prices had doubled.
On the five issues ranked highest, Labour led National in every case. Labour was rated at 38% on managing inflation, up 7 points, while National was rated at 24%, up 3 points. On healthcare, Labour was rated at 42%, up 4 points, and National was steady at 21%. On fuel prices, Labour was rated at 35%, up 6 points, and National fell 2 points to 20%. On the economy, Labour was rated at 34%, up 4 points, and National rose 1 point to 29%. On unemployment, Labour was rated at 38%, up 4 points, and National was steady at 21%.
Law and order was the one top-20 issue on which National led. National held steady at 29%, while Labour rose 3 points to 28%, leaving a gap of one point. Housing ranked sixth at 18%, down 1 point, with Labour at 35%, up 4 points, and National at 22%, down 1 point.
Poverty and inequality ranked seventh at 16%, down 1 point. Climate change ranked ninth at 12%, also down 1 point, and education tenth at 8%, down 1 point.
Ratings of the government's performance held at 4.1 for the third survey in a row.
The survey was conducted using online panels, which are groups of people who have agreed to take part in online surveys, between 19 and 27 October 2026. It included 1008 New Zealanders aged 18 and older. The results carry a credibility interval (the survey's margin of error) of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
