News

Health and wealth stress us out

Thursday , 24 December 2015 by Aimee Bourke

Health and money are the two things stressing us out according to a recent survey by New Zealand’s largest health insurer Southern Cross.

The research, carried out by TNS on behalf of Southern Cross Healthcare Group, found that 29% of New Zealanders are more stressed out than a year ago.

And there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight – these findings are backed up by the 2015 Wellness in the Workplace survey that showed 28.6% of businesses reporting employee stress levels on the rise.

The TNS survey showed that;

  • 52% of people are worried about their current or future health issues

  • 21% are worried about the health of family and friends

  • 32% are worried about staying fit and healthy

  • 47% are worried about having enough money to live on

  • 30% are worried about bill or mortgage payments

  • 35% are stressed out by their workload and deadlines

Southern Cross spokesperson Aimee Bourke says, “What the research shows is on an individual level people are feeling more stressed, and this tends to lead to health issues in the long run.”

Young people reported being stressed out trying to get ahead at work and maintain a social life, whereas older respondents were more concerned about their health and the health of their family and friends.

Businesses should try and offset stress levels or expect reductions in productivity, says Bourke.

“If you invest time and effort when training your staff it makes sense that you would also invest in their health and provide tools for them to better manage stress.”

“What we know is that businesses can help mitigate this by providing employees the tools to alleviate or better manage their triggers of stress.

“Annual health checks, immunisations, wellness and financial literacy programmes and offering flexible hours and the option to work from home if they need to care for a family member, are just some of the ways the workplace can help,” says Bourke.

Note: Conducted by TNS the online survey of 2002 randomly selected New Zealanders was carried out in November 2015.

Total

Male

Female

Under 40

Over 40

STRESS

 

 

 

 

 

How stressed do you feel?

 

 

 

 

 

1 - Not at all stressed

12%

12%

11%

6%

16%

2

23%

24%

21%

17%

27%

3

31%

28%

33%

30%

31%

4

25%

25%

25%

33%

19%

5 - Very stressed

9%

9%

9%

12%

7%

Rather not say

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

Total

2002

737

1265

820

1182

Stress compared to a year ago

 

 

 

 

 

Less stressed

23%

21%

26%

25%

22%

No different

47%

51%

42%

33%

57%

More stressed

29%

28%

31%

40%

21%

Rather not say

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

Total

2002

737

1265

820

1182

Feeling about work/life balance

 

 

 

 

 

I spend more time working than I would like to

29%

33%

24%

34%

24%

I have a good work/life balance

51%

52%

49%

44%

56%

I would like to spend more time with family and friends

19%

18%

19%

23%

15%

I would like more time just to myself

14%

12%

17%

19%

11%

Rather not say

1%

1%

2%

1%

1%

Total

1103

458

645

473

630

Work/life balance compared to five years ago

 

 

 

 

 

Improved, e.g. the balance between life and work is better

40%

36%

44%

41%

39%

Not changed

32%

35%

29%

26%

38%

Worsened, e.g. the balance between life and work is worse

27%

28%

25%

31%

23%

Rather not say

1%

1%

1%

2%

0%

Total

1103

458

645

473

630

Main issues that cause stress

 

 

 

 

 

Keeping up with bill/mortgage payments

30%

26%

33%

29%

30%

Having enough money to live on

47%

42%

51%

52%

43%

Work deadlines

13%

16%

10%

17%

10%

Workload

22%

22%

21%

28%

17%

Job security

16%

17%

15%

19%

14%

Work life balance

19%

21%

18%

25%

15%

Spending enough time with my family

17%

14%

20%

21%

14%

My health

30%

27%

32%

25%

33%

The health of family and friends

21%

17%

25%

20%

21%

Potential health issues

22%

23%

20%

19%

24%

My relationship with my partner

16%

16%

17%

21%

13%

My relationship with my parents

10%

9%

10%

16%

5%

My relationship with my children

11%

10%

12%

10%

12%

My work relationships

9%

9%

9%

11%

7%

Maintaining friendships

16%

16%

17%

24%

10%

Study

14%

12%

16%

28%

3%

Staying fit and healthy

32%

26%

38%

35%

30%

Organising my social life

10%

11%

9%

17%

4%

Something else (please specify)

7%

6%

8%

5%

9%

Rather not say

3%

3%

3%

3%

3%

Total

2002

737

1265

820

1182

 

 

Under 30

30 to 39

40 to 49

Over 50

Younger, no children

Family, children under 18

Family, adult children

Older, no children

STRESS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How stressed do you feel?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 - Not at all stressed

5%

9%

5%

21%

6%

7%

8%

21%

2

17%

17%

22%

29%

18%

19%

20%

30%

3

28%

33%

36%

29%

28%

36%

32%

28%

4

38%

27%

29%

15%

35%

27%

29%

16%

5 - Very stressed

12%

13%

8%

6%

13%

10%

9%

5%

Rather not say

1%

1%

0%

1%

1%

1%

2%

0%

Total

419

401

409

773

422

570

256

704

Stress compared to a year ago

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Less stressed

26%

24%

24%

20%

26%

25%

21%

21%

No different

31%

38%

45%

62%

34%

39%

43%

62%

More stressed

42%

37%

29%

18%

40%

35%

35%

16%

Rather not say

1%

1%

1%

0%

1%

1%

1%

1%

Total

419

401

409

773

422

570

256

704

Feeling about work/life balance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spend more time working than I would like to

37%

31%

24%

25%

39%

25%

28%

25%

I have a good work/life balance

39%

50%

53%

59%

47%

48%

46%

60%

I would like to spend more time with family and friends

26%

19%

20%

12%

21%

24%

18%

11%

I would like more time just to myself

22%

14%

12%

10%

19%

13%

24%

8%

Rather not say

2%

0%

1%

1%

1%

1%

2%

1%

Total

210

263

306

324

275

368

134

308

Work/life balance compared to five years ago

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Improved, e.g. the balance between life and work is better

39%

44%

36%

40%

40%

42%

34%

39%

Not changed

25%

27%

37%

39%

27%

32%

33%

40%

Worsened, e.g. the balance between life and work is worse

33%

29%

27%

21%

33%

25%

29%

21%

Rather not say

3%

0%

0%

0%

1%

0%

4%

0%

Total

210

263

306

324

275

368

134

308

Main issues that cause stress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keeping up with bill/mortgage payments

23%

40%

38%

26%

28%

41%

22%

25%

Having enough money to live on

51%

53%

49%

40%

49%

52%

50%

38%

Work deadlines

20%

13%

17%

8%

17%

16%

18%

8%

Workload

31%

23%

25%

14%

29%

24%

26%

14%

Job security

20%

17%

21%

11%

18%

18%

21%

11%

Work life balance

28%

21%

23%

11%

21%

27%

23%

10%

Spending enough time with my family

21%

21%

18%

12%

17%

26%

15%

11%

My health

25%

26%

21%

38%

31%

19%

30%

37%

The health of family and friends

20%

21%

17%

23%

18%

22%

23%

22%

Potential health issues

19%

18%

19%

27%

19%

18%

23%

25%

My relationship with my partner

21%

21%

16%

11%

17%

25%

10%

12%

My relationship with my parents

17%

13%

8%

3%

13%

11%

13%

4%

My relationship with my children

7%

15%

14%

11%

4%

19%

10%

10%

My work relationships

11%

11%

10%

6%

13%

10%

9%

6%

Maintaining friendships

29%

16%

12%

9%

26%

15%

17%

9%

Study

39%

10%

5%

3%

25%

11%

28%

2%

Staying fit and healthy

39%

29%

24%

32%

33%

30%

34%

32%

Organising my social life

22%

9%

5%

4%

15%

8%

17%

4%

Something else (please specify)

4%

6%

10%

9%

6%

7%

6%

9%

Rather not say

2%

4%

3%

3%

3%

2%

2%

4%

Total

419

401

409

773

422

570

256

704