Strong support for testing, so kiwis can keep jobs – Poll
A nationwide poll has found significant support from New Zealanders for regular testing to be allowed as an option so that kiwis can keep their jobs.
In the poll of 1,000 New Zealanders surveyed by Curia Market Research, respondents were asked: Do you support or oppose an employer being able to sack a staff member, purely because the staff member has not had a Covid-19 vaccine?
The country is split down the middle. Half (50%) of respondents support an employer being able to sack unvaccinated staff members, while the other 50% are opposed (31%), or unsure / unwilling to say (19%).
Respondents were then asked: Do you think employees who do not wish to have a Covid-19 vaccine should be able to keep their job, if they instead agree to have a weekly Covid-19 test?
58% of respondents support unvaccinated employees being able to keep their jobs if they agreed to have a weekly Covid-19 test. Just 27% were opposed.
Younger voters were much less likely to support the sacking of unvaccinated staff; and of those double vaccinated, almost half were either opposed (24%) or unsure (21%).
Interestingly, of those double vaccinated, almost half were either opposed (24%) or unsure (21%) regarding the ability of employers to sack unvaccinated staff.
There was majority support for the regular Covid-19 test from National (71%), Labour (54%) and ACT (78%) voters, and even a third (36%) of Green party supporters supported this option.
Throughout New Zealand, thousands of kiwis are losing their employment because of the “no jab no job” policy. We’ve received hundreds of messages from distraught kiwis losing their jobs. Some of the careers being lost include truck drivers, drainlayers, arborists, tennis coaches, scrap yard workers, university students, courier drivers, apprentices, bus drivers, construction workers, volunteer firefighters, office administrators, after-hours cleaners, fruit pickers, grounds maintenance workers, gardeners, volunteer driving instructors, road maintenance workers, after-hours security guards, student farm-workers, fitness instructors, and many more.
Previous polls have focused on mandates for specific so-called “high risk” workforces. The 1News Colmar Brunton Poll showed 74% supported the mandate that impacts teachers, health care workers, port, border, and prison workers only. The Talbot Mills Research poll a month ago, found 79% agreed with a vaccine mandate for health workers, while 72% agreed to one for teachers.
But this survey asks about society-wide mandates which are affecting all workforces. The mandate is also affecting other events such as church attendance, weddings and family interactions.
Both National and ACT have called for the option of rapid testing, and Te Pāti Māori says it would abolish Government vaccine mandates. Air New Zealand will require customers travelling domestically to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 OR test negative before flying.
We’re calling on the Government to allow the use of COVID rapid antigen testing as an alternative for unvaccinated kiwis.
In fact, with our new understanding of the waning immunity of the vaccine, we believe testing and isolation is an important component moving forward. It’s much fairer – and doesn’t divide us.
The petition “Don’t Divide Us.nz” has reached 65,000+ signatures. The petition says “We oppose the ‘no jab no job’ policy, which will create a divided New Zealand. We call on the Government to allow the use of COVID rapid antigen testing as an alternative for unvaccinated kiwis to access workplaces, schools, maraes, large gatherings, and places of worship.”
The nationwide poll which was commissioned by Family First NZ was carried out 16-18 November 2021 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.
