WIPNZ2007: World Internet Project New Zealand Benchmark Survey

Since 2007, the Institute of Culture, Discourse, and Communication (ICDC) at AUT University, has been conducting a long-term survey to track trends in Internet use, and to document the role and impact of the Internet in New Zealand society. The Internet has changed how business and trade deals are made; how schools and other academic institutions, councils, media, and advertisers operate. The Internet also impacts on family interaction, the ways in which people form new friendships, and the communities to which people belong.

The World Internet Project New Zealand is an extensive research project that aims to provide important information about the social, cultural, political, and economic influence of the Internet and related digital technologies. As part of the World Internet Project International, a collaborative research effort, WIP NZ enables valid and rigorous comparison between New Zealand and 30 other countries around the world. Each partner country in WIP shares a set of 30 common questions.

ICDC's longitudinal survey includes a cross-section of participants aged 12 and up, from across New Zealand. A quota ensures that people of Māori, Pasifika, and Asian descent, and the range of age groups, are not underrepresented. The survey investigates Internet access and targets Internet users as well as non-users; it looks at who uses this technology and what they do online. It also considers offline activities such as how much time is spent with friends and family. Other questions address issues such as the effects of the Internet on language use and cultural development; the role of the Internet in accessing information or purchasing products; and how the Internet affects the educational and social development of New Zealand children. In addition to studying the impact of the Internet, the survey tracks the effectiveness of strategies to address issues such as the digital divide between rich and poor, or urban and rural.