New Zealand's Internet insights 2020
Each year we fund research about Kiwis' attitudes to the Internet. This year we commissioned market research company Colmar Brunton to survey New Zealanders about their use, benefits, concerns, and fears regarding the Internet. So what does the research tell us this year?
Key findings
Impact of COVID-19
COVID-19 appears to have had an impact on the state of the Internet in New Zealand during 2020 in several ways.
“[I use the Internet for] Ordering groceries online, checking out products before going to shops to buy them to limit the time spent in contact with others, checking out the latest COVID-19 news and information, and contacting our son and his partner and other family overseas.“
Use of the
Internet
Having access to the Internet is more important than ever with over 96% of New Zealand Internet users using it on a daily basis in their home, and seven out of ten Internet users using it daily at work.
New Zealanders' concerns
The most significant increases in areas of the Internet New Zealanders are extremely concerned about include:
Privacy and security
The level of concern around privacy and security has also increased in the last year, especially for those who already have a high level of concern.
“I think privacy, safety and security online is very concerning but I've just come to accept that it's the price we pay for all the benefits.”
How do New Zealanders use the Internet?
The total number of people accessing the Internet at home, at work, and using public wifi at least once daily has increased in 2020 over 2019.
The average number of times people are using the Internet each week has increased in 2020 at work & home and remained the same on public wifi.
Location of Internet usage
Social channels average weekly use
Average weekly use of social media channels either fell or remained the comparable for everything in 2020 except WhatsApp, which had a 25% increase from 2019.
Fibre connection vs wireless
There is an upward trend in having a fibre connection at home (to the detriment of the other types of Internet connections).
“WFH was made possible and easier due to fibre being installed in my area post lockdown one. For the initial lockdown I was hot-spotting using my phone.”
Activities performed using the Internet
Forty-five percent of consumers have found a job online, and around a third have found a house to buy or rent.
Benefits of the Internet
Possibly due to circumstances around COVID-19 this year, New Zealanders have rated a number of key social benefits of the Internet higher than in previous years.
This includes online shopping, working from home, and cloud storage, among others.
The exception to this is the value of access to information, which decreased significantly. This could indicate a correlation between New Zealanders’ increase in concern about information accuracy (fake news) and their level of trust in online information.
More about the benefits of the InternetFlexible working
COVID-19, and the subsequent lockdowns, have brought new opportunities for some people to work from home. This research also highlights barriers which are stopping some flexibility.
Concerns and safety
The number of New Zealanders who said they were “extremely concerned” increased in several areas in 2020. Three quarters of kiwis are either extremely concerned or very concerned about what children access on the Internet.
Other major areas of concern include cyber bullying and privacy and security of data.
However, the biggest increase in those who are extremely concerned was in the Internet’s potential use as a forum for extremist views or hate speech.
More about concerns and safetyMore about the research
Find out more about our methodologies,
or download the full report.