New Zealand's Internet insights 2021
Each year we fund research about New Zealanders' 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
Growing concern of the content online
There is a continued increase of New Zealanders who are concerned with the content available online in a number of ways.
Privacy and security
The number / percentage of people that are “extremely concerned” about online privacy and security has risen for the second year in a row.
[For information about keeping safe and secure online] “I talk to a computer technician I know.”
Use of the
Internet
Having access to the Internet is more important than ever with over 93% of participants using it on a daily basis in their home, and 66% using the Internet daily at work. 67% of participants use Facebook at least once a day.
New Zealanders' concerns
There have been significant increases in people being “very concerned” or “extremely concerned” that the Internet is a forum for wrong or misleading information, extremist material and hate speech, and online conspiracy theories.
Enabling young children to access inappropriate content remains the number one concern with 74% of people very concerned or extremely concerned.
Other top concerns are cyber bullying 71%, security of personal data 69%, and online crime 68%. And, two thirds of New Zealanders (66%) have chosen not to use at least one online service because of security or privacy concerns in the past 12 months, which is an increase of 8% compared to last year.
However, the majority of people (86%) continue to think that the positives of the Internet outweigh the negatives.
How do New Zealanders use the Internet?
Ninety-three percent of participants use the Internet at least once a day at home, and two thirds use it as often at work.
Location of Internet usage
Social channels average weekly use
Facebook is by far the most frequently accessed communication or social media channel, with two thirds of New Zealanders using it daily. The next most frequently used are SMS Texts and Facebook Messenger.
Fibre connection vs wireless
Home Fibre connections continue to increase with six in ten New Zealanders having this type of Internet connection.
Activities performed using the Internet
The activities people are doing online are fairly consistent to previous years.
Benefits of the Internet
home
information
people online
communities
of people
While the top three key social benefits that New Zealanders perceive the Internet provides remain the same, there has been a slight drop to each. These are: facilitates communication with friends and family, providing access to information, and online shopping.
There has also been a significant decrease in the perceived benefit of meeting new people online.
However, there has been an upward trend in people seeing the Internet as a way to connect communities.
Flexible working
Unsurprisingly, given ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns, there's an increase in the frequency people work from home (amongst those who can work from home).
of those who do the type of work which allows them to work from home would consider moving somewhere else in New Zealand if they could relocate their current job.
Of those who would consider relocating; the most common reasons are:
- 46% More affordable housing
- 44% More affordable lifestyle
- 43% Better lifestyle
congestion
centres reducing
house costs
More about the research
Find out more about our methodologies,
or download the full report.