Poll: With Auckland back in alert level 3 lockdown, are you becoming more complacent when it comes to following the rules?
Kiwis may become complacent and start to ignore government guidance if lockdowns become more frequent, according to experts.
Auckland moved back into a week-long level 3 lockdown on Sunday after two fresh community cases of Covid-19 were discovered.
But University of Auckland associate professor Susanna Trnka says if people no longer feel a sense of urgency they will be less compelled to follow the rules.
"During the first lockdown it was understood that extraordinary times require extraordinary measures,” the social anthropologist said.
"But as it becomes lockdown two, three and four, the sense of the urgency has shifted and isn't so palpable."
Senior lecturer Sarah Cowie, who is an expert on psychology and behaviour, said it was "certainly a possibility" that people could become more complacent during recurring lockdowns.
“There's evidence from places overseas that have been flung in and out of lockdown that people do become a little bit more complacent the more you have,” she said.
“If we are doing things in line with level 3 and not seeing the benefits of that, it might feel discouraging."
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18% Yes
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31.3% No
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50.7% I'm adhering strictly to government guidance.
Christmas Eve busiest shopping day of the year with more than 500,000 sales
Busiest shopping day of the year
Peak time 12 noon-1 pm - 563,303 transactions
Per second peak - 167 transactions
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Number of sales beats Black Friday, but lowest Christmas Eve in six years
Christmas Eve has been the busiest shopping day of the year with 9,745 sales a minute at its peak.
Payments company Worldline says noon to 1pm saw 563,303 sales recorded on its network, down by about 7 percent on a year ago.
The company's network covers about three-quarters of the electronic terminals in operation.
Worldline did not have a dollar value for spending, but the peak number of transactions was the lowest for the past six years and well shy of the record 679,436 in 2019, before the pandemic.
Earlier this month it noted rising sales in the first three weeks of the month, but they remained 1.3 percent lower than 2024, with most parts of the country trailing the previous year's spending.
Official data from Stats NZ to the end of November showed a small rise in spending on the previous month, to 1.6 percent higher for the year.
Retail spending has been subdued as households have remained cautious because of high prices and a slow benefit from lower interest rates, and as well as concerns about the soft labour market.
However, recent surveys have shown improving consumer sentiment with ANZ bank's monthly report showing confidence at its highest level in four years.
Boxing Day is traditionally the country's favourite shopping day, but with Black Friday spending also softer this year the amount going through retailers' terminals may also be down on a year ago.
Adding a dampener to consumer spending may be the recent rises in longer term fixed mortgage rates because of higher wholesale rates.
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Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
🎁 Holiday Gift Chat!
Do you ever regift?
What’s your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesn’t fit?
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79.2% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
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20.8% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
Exclusive Christmas Sleep Deals - Up to 65% OFF Beds!
Hi neighbours,
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Don’t miss out, give yourself the gift of quality sleep this Christmas!
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