Q. What is the Income & Expenditure (I&E) Survey 2022?

A. The Income & Expenditure (I&E) Survey 2022 investigates what the real cost of being a student in Aotearoa New Zealand looks like for students on the ground. It is run by students, for students and it is the cumulative work of NZUSA in partnership with Te Mana Ākonga, Tauira Pasifika and the National Disabled Students’ Association.

The survey has been run since the mid-1980s by NZUSA, and occurs every three to four years. The Survey contributed to a Report in the 1980s that supports the introduction of student allowances, restored the $1000 course costs loan in the early 2000s, and underpinned the Green party’s policy of free off-peak travel for students in the 2014 General Election. The Report that is produced from the Survey has been traditionally employed by tertiary institutions, political parties and national media as a strong civil society source of information, regarding student income, spending and debt.

Q. What topics does the 2022 survey look at?

A. This year’s I&E Survey has had a change from previous years. Previous I&E surveys did not change their core question sets and instead focused on the changing technologies that were employed to reach students on-the-ground, such as email and social media in 2014 and 2016.

Q. What topics does the 2022 survey look at?

A. The 2022 Survey is different because it comes at a time of increasing costs for students. The global education crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, digital divide, cost of living crisis from food to transportation, housing catastrophe, inconsistent level of unemployment and various other events have significantly impacted student income, expenditure and wellbeing. This Survey directly addresses these issues, including topics: distance and on-campus learning; family context; financial support; student debt; accommodation; transport; employment; health and wellbeing; voting and elections.

This year we have consulted Statistics New Zealand, the Research Association of New Zealand and Universities New Zealand regarding a new approach to the survey. This is because in addition to the complex environment the Survey addresses, much of the data NZUSA previously collected for the I&E was already being collected by the Ministry of Education.

Q. Why is it called the I&E Survey?

A. It has been called the “Income & Expenditure Survey” since the 1980s, with the name referring to the cost of being a student on-the-ground. While the 2022 Survey has been released under this title, the finished Report - which will be released in early 2023 - will have a different name as voted on by the NZUSA National Council.

Q. Who supports this Survey for students?

A. A number of groups support the I&E Survey 2022 for students across Aotearoa New Zealand. The survey is presented by the four partner students’ associations, NZUSA, TMĀ, TP and NDSA. The Survey also involved consultation opportunities for students’ associations across Aotearoa and has the support of the 14 member student associations on the NZUSA National Council and various others. A number of tertiary institutions also support the Survey and will be sharing it with you on their local social media and via email.

The Report that will be produced from the data collected in the Survey is being supported by Universities New Zealand, who have offered for a statistician to help collect complimentary data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure.

Q. Why does NZUSA continue to run the I&E Survey, and how long does this Survey run for?

A. NZUSA continues to run the I&E Survey because it is a good source of information on the cost of being a student in Aotearoa New Zealand today, for tracking trends in the life of students across time, and because it is a good source of information to aid local and national student union advocacy at your local tertiary institutions and for party policies during the 2023 General Elections. While this Survey was due to come out in 2021, it has been delayed due to COVID-19 and consequently will provide very important data on the student body.

This I&E Survey runs from the 4th of October 2022 until the 8th November 2022. These dates may change depending on the type of data sample we receive from the Survey. It only takes about 24 minutes to complete.

Q. How can I help bring awareness to the Survey?

A. If you, your students’ association, student organisation or club, tertiary institution, or sector-related organisation wants to help

bring awareness about the I&E Survey 2022, you can repost it on your social media with the hashtag #I&ESurvey2022. You can

also use this tag to talk about your experiences concerning the cost of being a student on social media and tag us online.

If your organisation wants to become an official supporter with your logo on our advertising or has any queries regarding the Survey,

please contact the NZUSA National Researcher, Ellen, at education@students.org.nz with any questions.

Q. Is the survey ethical?

A. The I&E Survey 2022 has gone through a rigorous ethics process in consultation with Statistics New Zealand and the Research Association of New Zealand (RANZ). The Survey is in alignment with the NZUSA Privacy Policy 2021 and upholds RANZ’s Industry Code of Practice 2015 which supports principles of: transparency, protection, and duty of care. The Code set standards of practice in alignment with the Privacy Act 2020, the Commerce Act 1986, and the Human Rights Act 1993. It is based off the ESOMAR/ICC International Code on Market, Opinion and Social Research and Data Analytics. This research also adheres to the 5 Safes of Statistics New Zealand concerning safe data usage.

This Survey respects Māori Data Sovereignty by upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi 1840, recognising that data on Māori is taonga and therefore subject to Māori. The Survey is mindful of the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Te Mana Raraunga. A kaitiaki (guardian) for Māori data has been appointed by Te Mana Ākonga.

Q. What are the prizes and how can I win from completing the I&E Survey?

A. If you participate in the I&E Survey 2022 you are able to participate in the competition that NZUSA is running for one of the following prizes:

3x JB HI FI $80 Vouchers

5x Pak’N’Save $60 Vouchers

The terms of the competition can be found here. Please note you can only enter the competition once. The competition draw will be on the 11th of November 2022 by the NZUSA National Office, unless otherwise notified.