Social Outcomes Publications
How education is related to social wellbeing including health, social connection, civic engagement, cultural identity, and other social outcomes.
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Self-reported effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand: Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) 2023
This report examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of New Zealand adults aged 16 to 75 years. It uses peoples’ own evaluations of how the pandemic had affected eight areas of their lives. The data was…
Author(s): Nicola Marshall, Paul Satherley (Senior Research Analysts), and Dee Earle (Principal Research Analyst), Ministry of Education
Date Published: May 2026
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A review of the New Zealand evidence on the benefits of tertiary education
What does existing evidence say about the benefits of tertiary education in New Zealand? This report reviews the body of New Zealand research on this question and aims to summarise what we know and don’t know so well. It aims…
Author(s): David Scott, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: August 2025
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Who stayed working and who retired? 2018-2023
This report looks at recent patterns of older people staying in work or retiring. It takes the population aged between 60 and 75 in 2018 and follows them to 2023 when they were aged 65 to 80. It aims to…
Author(s): Paul Satherley, Senior Research Analyst, Ministry of Education
Date Published: September 2024
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Education and Volunteering
Education contributes to more aspects of wellbeing than individuals’ better work and earning prospects. This short report explores how education is related to volunteering, using the indicator of whether or how frequently people participated in voluntary work for non-profit organisations.…
Author(s): Paul Satherley, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education.
Date Published: September 2022
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Education and political efficacy
Education contributes to wider wellbeing than only individuals’ better work and earning prospects. This short report explores how education is related to political efficacy, using the indicator of agreeing or disagreeing with the statement: People like me don’t have any…
Author(s): Paul Satherley, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: March 2022
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Education and two social trust indicators
Education contributes to wider wellbeing than only individuals’ better work and earning prospects. This short report explores how education is related to social trust, using two measures – agreeing or disagreeing with the statements: There are only a few people…
Author(s): Paul Satherley, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: December 2021
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Education and health
Education contributes to wider wellbeing beyond better employment and earning prospects. This short report explores how education is related to health, using one measure of health, self-reported assessment of overall health.…
Author(s): David Scott, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: January 2021
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How are skills related to social and economic participation? Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC)
New Zealand participated in the OECD's Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) in 2014. The survey is part of the OECD's Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC).This A3 looks at how skill levels relate to social and economic…
Author(s): Paul Satherley, Tertiary, Ministry of Education
Date Published: December 2018
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What can the Survey of Adult Skills tell us about how skills and education relate to social well-being? (PIAAC)
This paper presents some key results on how skills relate to health, social participation and social trust. People with higher skills and higher education have higher levels of self-reported health, volunteer more often, trust others more, and feel they have…
Author(s): David Scott, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: December 2018
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Social and cultural outcomes for wānanga students
This report provides descriptive breakdowns of the relationships between having studied at a wānanga and language, culture and socio-economic wellbeing. The appendix to the report provides further analysis controlling for background characteristics of wānanga students, which confirms the descriptive analysis…
Author(s): Chris Lane and Dee Earle [Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis - Graduate Achievement, Vocations and Careers: Ministry of Education]
Date Published: December 2015
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Social and economic indicators of education
This report uses data from the 2008 New Zealand General Social Survey to explore how a range of 30 social and economic indicators vary with education. It provides evidence supporting known economic benefits, and new evidence on a range of…
Author(s): David Scott, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education.
Date Published: August 2010
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Benefits of tertiary certificates and diplomas: Exploring economic and social outcomes
This report examines the economic and social benefits of tertiary certificates and diplomas and provides new evidence of the value of a significant part of the tertiary education system. It makes use of a range of data to look at…
Author(s): Dee Earle, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education
Date Published: May 2010
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The ALL Survey short analyses: ‘Well-being and education’ and ‘How well do qualifications predict literacy and numeracy’
These two fact sheets provide short analyses from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey 2006. They look at the relationship between New Zealanders’ education level and their assessment of their well-being, and the extent to which educational qualifications can…
Author(s): Ministry of Education
Date Published: March 2009
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Outcomes of the New Zealand tertiary education system: A synthesis of the evidence
This report provides a synthesis of the evidence of the outcomes of the New Zealand tertiary education system. The report quotes a number of statistical studies completed over the last six years and also reproduces some previously published summaries of…
Author(s): Warren Smart
Date Published: August 2006
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Comorbidity and coincidence in the Christchurch and Dunedin longitudinal studies
This report was prepared for the Ministries of Social Development and Education, and Treasury. It contains information from the Christchurch and Dunedin longitudinal studies on aspects of adolescent adjustment, and analyses to what extent these are associated.…
Author(s): David Fergusson, John Horwood and Nicola Swain-Campbell, Christchurch School of Medicine and Richie Poulton and Barry Miln, Dunedin School of Medicine.
Date Published: August 2003
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