Public perception of the urban environment: comparison of Wellington with national data

Abstract

The first State of the Environment Reporting (SER) exercise based on a survey of New Zealanders' perceptions of the environment was undertaken in 2000. The survey questionnaire is constructed upon a Pressure-State-Response model. Hughey et al. (2001) provide background and justification for the survey approach used. OECD (1996) and MfE (1997) explain this model, which is used internationally as the basis for environmental reporting. The survey by Hughey et al. was designed to be undertaken biennially and subsequent surveys were undertaken in 2002 and 2004. The main aims of the research are to measure, analyse and monitor changes in New Zealanders' perceptions, attitudes and preferences towards a range of environmental issues, ultimately contributing to improved state of the environment reporting. With regard to the present report, the Wellington Regional Council asked us to compare data - that had been gathered through the survey by Hughey et al. - for the Wellington region (as defined through the respective post codes¹ ) with data for the Rest of New Zealand (excluding Wellington).