World Internet Project - latest NZ research from AUT
Most New Zealand internet users are accessing the internet from a hand-held mobile device at least some of the time, according to the 2013 World Internet Project New Zealand (WIPNZ) Report.
Mobile devices popular for internet access
“With internet use in New Zealand almost reaching saturation point, it is interesting to see how technology such as iPads, smartphones, gaming consoles and other wireless devices are influencing people’s behaviour. Seventy per cent of users surveyed in this study said they accessed the internet with a hand-held mobile device at least some of the time. This enables them to find and share information, and communicate with each other ‘anywhere, anytime’,” says AUT University’s Professor Allan Bell, lead researcher on the WIPNZ.
Accessing information and entertainment
The WIPNZ Report also highlights the significance of the internet as a source of information as opposed to entertainment, with 81 per cent of respondents overall rating it as an important or very important source of information, compared to 56 per cent rating it as an important or very important source of entertainment.
Project support
The WIPNZ Report, part of the international World Internet Project, was completed by AUT’s Institute of Culture, Discourse and Communication and funded by InternetNZ and the National Library at the Department of Internal Affairs, with additional support from BuzzChannel.
Dr Jeff Cole
International Director of the World Internet Project Dr Jeff Cole is in New Zealand and spoke at the launch of the New Zealand report in Wellington today. “New Zealand is widely recognised as a nation of ‘early-adopters’, so to have had AUT University as a partner of the World Internet Project since 2007 has added a new dimension to the international body of data. New Zealand provides us with a data set that tells a unique story of internet use. I am looking forward to seeing this latest set of data compared internationally.”
Key NZ findings
- Everyday importance: 73% of New Zealanders feel that the internet is important or very important in their everyday life.
- Internet confidence: Most New Zealanders feel confident about their ability to use the internet, with 67% giving themselves 4 or 5 out of 5.
- Time online: 4 out of 5 users spend an hour or more online at home every day.
- Source of information: Overall, 81% of respondents rate the internet as an important or very important source of information.
- Source of entertainment: Overall 56% of respondents value the internet as an important or very important source of entertainment.
- Consumer decisions: The internet is used as a tool for consumer decision-making (94% look for information about products online and 85% compare prices).
- Ethnicity and use: Maori and Pasifika New Zealanders are less likely to use the internet with 14% of people being non-users, compared to 7% of New Zealand Europeans and 3% of Asians.
- Social networking: A quarter of users access Facebook or another social networking site several times a day.
- Online phone calls: 64 % of users make or receive phone calls online.
- Music streaming: Maori and Pasifika users, especially those in lower income households are leading the way with subscriptions to music streaming services like Spotify.
- Cloud computing: Just over a third of users say they use the cloud (store or share files on a remote server maintained by a third party).
For more information: Aimee Wilkins, AUT Communications Manager, 021 385 878
Read the 2013 World Internet Project New Zealand Report
Read the full press release of 21 November 2013, and find more information on the World Internet Project New Zealand research
Read latest cross country comparison report of the World Internet Project published in 2012