A mammoth survey of over 7,000 New Zealanders has found the great majority - 90 percent - are happy with their lives.

A note of caution is that only about one-fifth of the people asked to participate in the quality of life survey actually took part. The people who were keenest to take part may have a different attitudes, on average, to the people who decided not to answer questions.

The survey’s main findings were:

Health
90% viewed their health positively, saying it was excellent (22%), very good (41%), or good (26%). 20% of people found they had wanted to visit their GP in the previous 12 months, but had not done so, most commonly because of the cost. A visit to the doctor in New Zealand (unless you have a welfare card) costs around £15 to £18. Unlike many GP practices in the UK, you can always get a same-day appointment in New Zealand.

Physical Activity
New Zealanders take their exercise seriously. 59% undertake physical activity five or more days a week. 22% do so every three or four days, and 12% every one or two days. Only seven percent do not undertake any physical activity.

Happiness
New Zealanders are a happy bunch. 88% felt positive, responding with either very happy (36%) or happy (52%).

Satisfaction with Life in General
86% felt they were satisfied with their life in general, responding with either very satisfied (34%) or satisfied (52%).

Stress
New Zealanders seem to be a laid back bunch with only 10% saying they had experienced stress in the past year that has had a negative effect on them. Two percent said they were always stressed and eight percent said they were stressed most of the time.

Sense of Safety
Most New Zealand residents felt safe in their homes (96% during the day, 91% after dark), but
less so in their neighbourhood (78% after dark, 63% walking alone after dark) or in the city centre (92% during the day, 50% after dark).

The survey was carried out independently by TNS on behalf New Zealand’s government and City Councils.

You can download the full Quality Of Life Report here.