Social License has been defined as existing when a project has ongoing approval or broad an on-going social acceptance within the local community and other stakeholders of the activity. For Education NZ (ENZ) monitoring and reporting social license for having international students in-country and education activities is a State of Intent responsibility. ENZ has been monitoring social approval since 2017. The most recent survey was undertaken in May 2022 using the Survey Monkey NZ population online panel. 1034 responses were collected. Headline results, time series data and evaluative insights about the results will be presented. Evaluative questions asked include to what degree can the changes be seen as meaningful and attributable to ENZ activities? Asking the counter factual question – what if ENZ had not been active in this space – is one approach to answering the question. The results show a gradual positive shift across 16 statements and Likert scale agreement categories about the contribution of international students to NZ. Respondents, when asked:
- 'overall to what extent do you agree or disagree that international students benefit NZ’, 59% of respondents ‘Agree / Strongly agree’
- 77% ‘Agree / Strongly agree’ that students help with the economy compared to 57% in 2016
- 66% ‘Agree / Strongly Agree’ that students provide needed skills for those that stay after study compared to 48% in 2016
- 69% ‘Agree / Strongly agree’ that students help support the education system for kiwi students compared to 48% in 2016 However, international students remain a low priority (in bottom 4 of 16 statements) as a ‘front of mind’ issue compared to cost of living, health and well-being and affordable housing.
The approach highlights the value of time series data for monitoring and evaluation purposes, particularly when sample sizes are small or identification and attribution of change is problematic.
