Growing Up in New Zealand has launched a research project to discover how the Covid-19 “lockdown” has affected children in Aotearoa-New Zealand.

The study is carrying out a digital survey in the first week of May 2020 to gather information about children’s experiences of “lockdown” at Covid-19 Alert Levels 4 and 3.

The survey will focus on learning more about how the past few weeks have affected children’s wellbeing, family life, connectivity, education and resilience.

Growing Up in New Zealand already has a wealth of information providing baseline measures of the children’s mental and physical wellbeing and family circumstances.

Importantly, this will allow researchers to understand any changes in children’s wellbeing that may be attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent actions taken in New Zealand to combat it.

It is hoped the research can then be used to support the wellbeing of children, both here and overseas, as the world faces what may well be a prolonged period of social isolation due to Covid-19.

The research will also examine how children have been connecting with friends and extended family when they cannot see each other face-to-face.

Growing Up in New Zealand wants as many of the cohort children to take part in the Covid-19 research as possible and is calling on all participants to update their contact details so that the study can be in touch with everyone.  

Growing Up participants should email contact@growingup.co.nz or call 0508 476946 to update their details.

The digital survey will only be open for a short period of time and Growing Up in New Zealand hopes the results will be published later this year.

Key points about the digital survey include:

• The research has been approved by the Northern B Ethics Committee.
• The digital survey will capture information about how the Covid-19 Level 3 & 4 “lockdown” has affected children’s wellbeing, family life, connectivity and education.
• The survey has been sent to more than 6,000 participants in Growing Up in New Zealand.
• The survey is intended to be completed by children in the study, but they can have help from an older family member or caregiver.
• The survey is voluntary.
• All information gathered as part of the survey will be anonymised and all information will remain confidential.

Participants who want to know more should contact Growing Up in New Zealand on contact@growingup.co.nz or call 0508476 946.

Participants can find out more below:

• Update your contact details
• Get support during Covid-19 shut down for you or your family