Voters in Chinese community switching from National to ACT, poll suggests

A new poll suggests support for National is waning in the Chinese community - and voters are turning to the ACT Party instead.

A Trace Research poll of 1350 Chinese New Zealanders found 53 percent would vote for National - down 9 percent on the previous poll.

Support for ACT has gone up from 9 percent to 15 percent, while Labour sits at just under 22 percent.

At the 2017 election, more than 70 percent of Chinese New Zealanders voted National.

The poll also asked respondents their most important deciding factor when voting.

Economic stimulus was the top priority for 58 percent of respondents. Next on the list were taxation (46 percent), law and order (37 percent), healthcare (30 percent) and immigration (27 percent).

The environment was the least important factor in voting, with just 12 percent support.

Read more about the 2020 election:

• Latest election coverage
• The Elevator Pitch
• RNZ's election policy guide
• Party leader interviews
• Outliers: the smaller parties vying for a place in Parliament