New Zealanders Concerns About The Internet Accelerating Fast

New research, released today by InternetNZ, shows that New Zealanders’ concerns about parts of the Internet are growing at a rapid speed.

58% of New Zealanders - up from 42% last year - are either ‘extremely concerned’ or ‘very concerned’ about online conspiracy theories.

Our level of concern about misinformation has also dramatically risen this year. 66% of New Zealanders - up from 56% last year - are either extremely or very concerned that information is misleading or wrong (e.g. misinformation).

The next biggest rise in concern levels is that the Internet is a forum for extremist material and hate speech. People who said they were extremely or very concerned about this jumped from 58% to 65%.

InternetNZ Chief Executive, Jordan Carter, says this research is undertaken every year.

"The rise in concern levels stands out this year and is certainly worrying.

"The concerns New Zealanders are feeling highlights the urgent need for improving our experience online.

"We are facing major challenges online - a lot of them with broader themes of misinformation and hate - and we need to come together to try and solve these.

"It is not a problem that Aotearoa is facing alone, but I believe that we can show some international leadership in this space if we can shift the dial and start to overcome these challenges," says Carter.

The research also shows us that our concerns over our personal security online are rising. 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. This is an increase of 8 percentage points compared to the year before.

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 cyberbullying 71%, security of personal data 69%, and online crime 68%.

Despite online content, security and trust concerns, 86% of us believe the benefits of the Internet outweigh the negatives.

"This shows us that New Zealanders still recognise and value the benefits the Internet offers.

"But with so many people utilising the Internet, and the growing necessity it has become to function in today's society, it’s more important than ever that we mitigate the risks online," says Carter.

Check out the findings on our website here: https://internetnz.nz/internet-insights

Key findings from the report:

• There are major increases in people saying they are extremely or very concerned about: online conspiracy theories (42% to 58%), misinformation (56% to 66%) and it is a forum for extremist material and hate speech (58% to 65%).
• 69% of New Zealanders are either extremely or very concerned that the Internet is "being used to share dangerous or discriminatory messages about individuals, groups, or communities" (this is a new question we asked this year)
• Top concerns (either extremely or very concerned): children accessing inappropriate material online (74%), cyber-bullying (71%), security of personal data (69%), the Internet being used to share dangerous or discriminatory messages (69%) and online crime (68%)
• When asked ‘how concerned are you about the security of your own personal details when you use them on the Internet?’ 52% of people said extremely concerned or very concerned (up from 46% last year.)
• 45% of people, who do the type of work which allows them to work from home, would consider moving somewhere else in NZ if they could re-locate their current job. Of those who would consider relocating; the most common reasons are: more affordable housing (46%), more affordable lifestyle (44%) and better lifestyle (43%)
• New Zealanders are significantly more likely to use the top three social media/communication platforms daily than they were a year ago - these are all from the META platform (Facebook, Messenger and Instagram)
• Despite security and trust concerns, 86% of us believe the benefits of the Internet outweigh the negatives.

About the report

Each year InternetNZ commissions market research company Colmar Brunton to survey New Zealanders about their use, benefits, concerns, and fears regarding the Internet. InternetNZ will continue to commission this research each year to demonstrate what people think today, and how their thinking changes over time.

About InternetNZ

InternetNZ is a non-profit organisation, and the home and guardian of .nz - providing the infrastructure, security and support to keep it humming. It uses the funding from the sale of .nz domain names to support the development of New Zealand's Internet through policy, community grants, research and events. Its vision is an Internet that is open, secure, and for all New Zealanders.

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