5. Personal Use of Information Technology
5.1 Computers in Homes
The figures used in this section are taken from the Household Economics Survey conducted by Statistics New Zealand (Statistics New Zealand 1998), which from March 1998 has become a triennial survey instead of an annual one, with the next survey to be carried out in the 12 months to March 2001. Since the survey assesses each household in a sample of 3000 over a 12 month period ending in March, it is reasonable to attach the figures to a March year end.
Figure 5.1.1 shows the percentage of homes with a computer (mains operated with keyboard). Note that the survey does not distinguish between households with only one computer and those with more than one. The average increase from March 1986 to March 1998 was 14% pa. The dotted line extends the curve assuming this rate has been maintained, giving a projected figure of about 43% of households with a computer in March 2000.
Figure 5.1.1 Percentage of households with a computer
In addition to home computers, the survey also asks about the availability of a number of other electronic amenities. Table 5.1.1 shows the percentage of households responding to the survey that reported the presence of a range of these amenities in 1998.
Table 5.1.1 Percentage of households with selected amenities (March 1998)
Amenity in dwelling | Percentage of Households |
| | 1998 |
| Clothes Washing Machine | 97.7 |
| Colour Television | 97.2 |
| Telephone | 96.0 |
| Video Recorder | 79.3 |
| Microwave Oven | 80.0 |
| Dishwasher | 33.3 |
| Home Computer | 32.9 |
| Cellular Phone | 21.3 |
| Subscriber TV Decoder | 19.7 |
Figure 5.1.2 shows the percentage of households owning four of these amenities from 1990 to 1998. In 1998, the number of households with a computer was roughly equal to the number owning a dishwasher. Despite flattening a little in 1997, the percentage of households with a subscriber TV decoder grew rapidly.
Figure 5.1.2 Household amenities (percentage of households)
5.2 Personal Use of the Internet
Information in this section is drawn from a National Business Review - Compaq Poll (NBR 2000). The data is reproduced with the permission of the National Business Review. The survey was carried out in late February 2000, based upon a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 750 New Zealanders 18 years of age and over.
Table 5.2.1 Proportion of respondents answering "yes" to the relevant question
| | % "yes" |
| Access to the Internet | 50 |
| Possess email address | 39 |
| Made a purchase on Internet | 11 |
| Comfortable using credit card | 21 |
| Not comfortable using credit card* | 21 |
The 50% responding "yes" to the question about access to the Internet (at home or at work), gave the following information about frequency of access.
Table 5.2.2 How often do you access the Internet?
| | % |
| More than once a day | 28 |
| Every one or two days | 26 |
| Once or twice a week | 19 |
| Once every two or three weeks | 4 |
| Once or twice a month | 6 |
| Less than once a month | 12 |
| Unsure | 5 |
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