Profiling Societal Disengagement in the New Zealand Population

Despite growing concerns about declining social cohesion, no systematic analyses have assessed how societal disengagement manifests in New Zealand. The present study addresses this oversight by examining societal disengagement in a large, nationwide random sample of New Zealand adults collected in 2021/2022 (N = 34,131). Using latent profile analysis, we identified seven profiles in the population that differed on seven indicators of disengagement: feeling wronged, powerless, meaningless, disconnected from community, financially deprived and pessimistic, and wary of authority. Two enfranchised profiles captured most of the sample (68.9%), suggesting most people are generally connected to society. However, we identified a small Anomic profile (6.4%) in which members experienced alienation and disengagement across indicators. We also identified four additional profiles reflecting combinations of enfranchisement and disengagement. The seven profiles differed across demographic characteristics and reflect qualitative distinctions between the socially enfranchised and disengaged in New Zealand.