Polling conducted for The Spinoff shows that a majority of the public supports financial compensation for survivors – even if they don’t know much about what is in the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

An estimated 200,000 children and adults were abused in state and faith-based care between 1950 and 1999, with the details laid out in a harrowing 3,000-word final report from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care in late July. New polling from Talbot Mills, conducted for The Spinoff between August 7 and 19, shows that a slim majority of New Zealanders are aware of the report. The polling also reveals that most people, especially those aware of the report, support financial compensation for survivors.

While the inquiry was widely covered in the media, and more than 1,500 witnesses gave evidence to the commission during the multi-year process, the polling found that public knowledge was limited. The key period of the inquiry, as set out in the terms of reference, was between 1950 and 1999; because much of the abuse happened further in the past, perhaps it’s unsurprising that older people knew more about the report – or because older people watch more linear TV and listen to broadcast radio, and so may know more about local news.

Only 31% of 18 to 29-year-olds had heard of the report, while 78% of those 60-plus knew about it. Overall, more than half of people polled had heard of the report, reflecting the greater awareness from older groups.

The interim and final reports of the inquiry make for harrowing reading, describing in detail how many thousands of vulnerable people were abused by institutions that should have protected them. The polling found, however, that while a majority of people had heard of the inquiry, most people didn't know much about its details. When people who had heard of the report were asked how much they knew about it, only 7% of people said they knew "a lot". Twenty-one percent of the 1,201 people surveyed as a whole thought they knew a fair amount about the inquiry, with the majority of people who were aware of the report saying they knew "not that much" about it.

While older people were more aware of the abuse in care inquiry as a whole, younger people were more likely to support financial compensation for survivors. Overall, a majority of people thought that financial compensation was needed. When told to ignore how much they did or didn't know about the inquiry, 65% of 18 to 29-year-olds polled in favour of compensation, while only 47% of those 60-plus supported compensation.

Left-leaning voters were also much more in favour of financial compensation. The polling asked people who they had voted for at the last election, meaning that people's opinions about whether survivors should be compensated by the government could be cross-referenced against their political leanings. The results fell distinctly along party lines; just 21% of Act voters thought victims should be compensated, while 79% of Te Pāti Māori voters thought compensation was in order.