New Zealanders top international poll on support for immigration

New Zealanders are among the most "pro-immigration" peoples in the world, a global market research firm said Wednesday.

The report came a day after the government announced a curb in immigrant numbers.

New Zealanders were the most likely of the 23 countries surveyed by Ipsos to believe that immigration had been good for their local economy, despite concerns about the pressures on public services arising as a result.

When asked to nominate the most important issues facing New Zealand today, 48 percent cited housing affordability, followed by the cost of living (25 percent) and poverty (21 percent).

Migration was cited by just 16 percent, said a statement from Ipsos.

New Zealanders believed immigration had been good for the economy and that it made New Zealand a more interesting place to live.

Despite this, 45 percent of New Zealanders felt that immigration had made it difficult to get jobs; 53 percent felt immigrants were pressuring public services; and 54 percent did not want an increase in immigration numbers.

Nicola Legge, head of public affairs at Ipsos New Zealand, said the findings indicated the ethnic or cultural origins of immigrants, as well as the numbers , was driving immigration concerns.

"This survey has confirmed New Zealanders' place in the world as amongst the most open-minded and accepting of immigrants, despite recent media hyperbole and concerns about the pressures that can arise from large immigration influxes," Legge said in the statement.

"However, not all immigrants are alike, and it is fascinating to see that many long-established immigrants to New Zealand, who came here when the country was a very different place, are now themselves feeling less comfortable with the immigration we have been seeing, especially when the traditional, Anglo-Saxon cultures are not involved," she said.

"This highlights a key factor within the immigration debate, which is that cultural disquiet often underlies people's concerns, not the numbers coming in per se."

The survey covered more than 16,000 online adults in New Zealand, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States.

On Tuesday, the New Zealand government announced new curbs on the number of immigrants to the country, following a long-running debate over the effect of migration on the economy.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse said the overall number of residence approvals for the next two years would be cut from 90,000-100,000 down to 85,000-95,000.

Critics have accused the government of panicking over public disquiet about immigration and strains on housing, education and health services. Endit