State of Caring Survey 2024

Greetings / Kia ora / Kia orana / Malo e lelei / Talofa lava

In 2021 more than 1,600 of you completed our State of Caring survey – an amazing number! We are so grateful to every family carer who took the time to respond.

It’s incredibly important for us to be able to use your responses in our policy, campaigning and advocacy work. Last year, we used your responses to advocate for positive change for all carers and they also helped Carers NZ and the Carers Alliance shape our priorities in areas like how to protect carers’ physical, mental, and financial wellbeing. These insights led to our wecare.nz campaign and our briefing to Incoming Ministers, to ensure focus on your important role and what you need to stay well and keep going.

We’re repeating this survey every two years to build a picture about how Aotearoa’s family carers are faring over time. This year’s survey focuses on several areas including health, employment and finances. Your feedback will enable us to be more focused in our work and communicate to decision makers what really matters to you. Knowing the issues carers face in 2024 and beyond couldn’t come at a more important time. This is the most extensive survey into carers’ experiences in NZ, so it may take around 20-30 minutes to complete. You might want to grab a cuppa and get comfy! We know how busy carers are, so don’t worry if you don’t get to the end – we’ll receive your responses even if you don’t finish. You can also skip questions if you don’t have much time. However, the more information you give us, the better we can build a good picture about how caring affects different people. We are really keen to hear about your experiences – good or bad – in as much detail as possible, as this helps us understand what it is like to be a family carer.

At the end of the survey. you can leave your contact details (optional) to enter our draw for 20 $100 retail vouchers, and to receive our survey report when it’s available.

Any comments you provide will not be identified as yours unless you give us permission to contact you, and we get agreement from you to do so. This survey is confidential, and your personal details will never be passed onto a third party. We will publish the anonymised results of this survey later this year.

Please note that State of Caring is only for people who provide care and support for someone in your family, friends, whānau or āiga who is frail, unwell, or has a disability or health condition. It’s not for those who work in the care sector.
We are very grateful to each and every person who takes the time to complete the survey.

Content warning: questions may trigger strong emotions about mental health, anxiety, money, and support services.

Go to the State of Caring Survey 2024 here.