Source: InternetNZ
New research from InternetNZ shows 52% of New Zealanders, who can work at home using the Internet, want to do it more regularly.
The research, which canvases opinions on a range of Internet-related topics, has monitored habits of remote working since the pandemic. It showed that three in five New Zealanders (61%) do the type of work that allows them to work from home. Over half wished they could work from home more.
Being required to work in the office by an employer for a certain number of days remains the most common barrier to people working from home more. The research found that face-to-face meetings and employer attitudes to remote working were other common barriers.
InternetNZ CEO Vivien Maidaborn believes that the statistics confirm a post-pandemic shift. “The Internet was the key to many businesses being able to operate during the pandemic through remote working. Unsurprisingly, many people who adjusted to working from home are reluctant to change back,” she said.
“From an employment point of view, we’re just beginning to figure out how to design communications, health and safety, and productivity to make the most of what the internet offers.”
The annual Internet Insights research encompasses a range of topics, including Internet use, concerns, online safety, and Artificial Intelligence.
Key findings from the report:
A huge amount of our personal time is spent on the Internet. More than a quarter of New Zealanders (27%) spend five hours or more on the Internet for personal use. The majority of New Zealanders (63%) spend two to four hours a day using the Internet outside of work. While using the Internet for leisure, almost half of us (48%) spend most of that time on social media. The next popular online activities are email (40%) and streaming services (39%).
Social media habits appear to be changing – New Zealanders have dropped their daily use of Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. While these huge social platforms still consume most of our personal Internet use, our daily use has dropped this year. However, Facebook Messenger and TikTok remain the same.
New Zealanders are divided on whether they think the Internet has a positive impact on our cultural beliefs and values. 37% of New Zealanders think the Internet has a positive impact on our cultural beliefs and values. But 28% think it has a negative impact. Women are more likely to think it has a negative effect than men.
We see a significant decline in people thinking that the positives of the Internet outweigh the negatives. Since last 2022, the number of people who think the positives of the Internet outweigh the negatives has dropped from 84% to 80%. This number has been declining since 2019. For Māori it is 75% and for Pasifika peoples it’s only 63%.
Too many people have personally experienced online harm or harassment. Nearly one in five New Zealanders say they have personally experienced online harm or harassment. The number increases for certain groups. For young people aged 18-29 it jumps to 24% and for Māori it’s 25%. And 29% of people with a long-term disability or impairment have personally experienced online harm or harassment.
A lot of New Zealanders are concerned about AI. Four out of five New Zealanders know ‘at least’ a little bit about artificial intelligence (AI). We asked these people how they felt about AI and 42% said they are more concerned than excited.
About the report
Each year InternetNZ commissions market research company Verian 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 | Ipurangi Aotearoa operates the .nz domain space. We ensure all domain names ending with .nz are available for people and businesses in Aotearoa to function and thrive online. We’re a not-for-profit organisation. The money we receive from .nz domain names goes back into the community. We provide grants, help to fund other organisations, and advocate for an accessible and safe Internet that benefits everyone in Aotearoa.
