New Zealanders see North Korea as the country that poses the biggest threat to us, according to the latest New Zealanders' Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples report.
Now in its 27th year, the report, released on Tuesday morning, found 69 percent of the 2300 respondents identified North Korea as a threat - a figure unchanged from last year's report.
The view is based on a perception of North Korea being a closed, isolated and introverted authoritarian state, with a disregard for human rights.
"They are introverted, they have a dictatorship that doesn't like western democracies," one respondent, a man in his 40s from Wellington, said.
"North Korea is a threat to [al]most any country, I think! Long standing dictatorship, ruthlessness, corruption and untrustworthy governance make it hard to create any sort of ties," another respondent, a woman in her 20s from Auckland, said.
The greatest perceived threat is its leadership - Kim Jong Un is seen as an unstable, unpredictable and irrational dictator.
However, North Korea's military and nuclear capabilities were also considered to be very dangerous to global order.
"They have great nuclear power, commit human rights violations, and are cut off from the rest of the world," an Auckland teenager said in her response.
North Korea ranked last when asked about who New Zealanders saw as our closest friends.
Close behind North Korea, Russia was also identified as a major threat by 66 percent of respondents. The response was based on both North Korea and Russia seen as acting aggressively toward other nations with nuclear threats heightening threat perceptions.
In 2022, more New Zealanders saw China as a threat than a friend. But this year, the survey revealed a slight reversal from 37 percent to 32 percent.
Sentiment remains mixed, though, with China ranking highly as both a "friend" - 33 percent - and "threat" - 32 percent.
But while China may be the most important and influential, Japan came out on top as the most loved.
Japan - which came in second most important to New Zealand's future - is regarded as New Zealand's closest friend in Asia and is the country New Zealanders both know best and continue to be most curious about, including being the country New Zealanders most want to visit.
But it's neither China or Japan that's sparking interest from the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono chief executive Suzannah Jessep.
"One of the trends we're watching is the rise of India and its perceived importance to New Zealand," she said in a statement.
India has overtaken Singapore as the third most important Asian country to New Zealand's future, following China and Japan and ahead of Singapore and South Korea.
New Zealanders also expect India's influence over New Zealand to rise in the next 10-to-20 years. South Asia is now seen to be equally important as Southeast Asia.
Seventy-five percent of New Zealanders over the age of fifteen believe that having a strong relationship with Asia is important to New Zealand's future.
New Zealanders' knowledge of the region is also at an all-time high.
"The data shows a clear shift towards a more informed and engaged New Zealand public when it comes to Asia. Today, roughly six out of ten (59 percent) New Zealanders say they feel reasonably knowledgeable about Asia, up from about three out of ten (33 percent) a decade ago," Jessep said.
"No matter what metric we look at, the Asia region is going to be hugely consequential to us. Whether it's technology, demographic change, trade, environment, politics, arts or sports. Asia has the demographic dividend which means it is growing faster than most others, and therefore it will likely shape the future trends that impact us most.
"The survey underscores a growing sentiment among New Zealanders that prioritising engagement with the region is paramount."
Jessep said New Zealanders of Asian heritage, as well as New Zealanders who identify as Māori, have skills and cultural know-how that can play an important role in building deeper relations with our key partners in Asia.
"This is a region where relationships, rather than transactions, matter most. While trade continues to be a key area of focus when it comes to Asia, for younger New Zealanders we're seeing an interest forged through gaming, entertainment, online communities, music and video."
Nearly six in ten New Zealanders have visited Asia, primarily for leisure purposes, underscoring the importance of experiential learning in fostering cross-cultural understanding, Jessep said.
"This year's Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples sends a clear message that Asia is going to continue to be a hugely consequential part of New Zealand's future - the need to understand the region and New Zealand's connections to it is only going to grow in importance."
The 2024 Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples survey drew on a nationally representative sample of 2300 participants 15 years of age or older. The survey covers a range of themes including, New Zealanders' perceptions of Asia's importance to New Zealand's future; public perceptions of regional political, security and economic trends; public perceptions of New Zealand's closest friends and partners in the region; New Zealanders' Asia knowledge levels; New Zealanders' everyday interests in Asia in terms of travel, cuisine, media engagement and entertainment consumption.
