Indicator 15: Access to phones and computers

Indicator 15: Proportion of older persons living in households with access to telephone, landline or cell, or personal computer, by age, sex, and ethnicity.
Indicator is fully reported? Partly.
Type of indicator Outcome indicator Outcome indicator
Other relevant indicators
  • Households with a landline.
  • Individuals with internet access at home (see Figure 1).
  • Individuals using broadband and dial-up (see Figure 2).
  • Devices individuals use to access the internet (see Figure 3).
Our findings

Information about access to landlines, cell phones, and the internet was collected in the 2006 and 2013 censuses. The Household Use of ICT (information, communication, and technology) survey measures the access and use of computers, the internet and mobile phones. Statistics New Zealand’s website provides further information about the survey. Among other potential deterrents, the survey looks at whether cost is a disincentive to access.

Data on access to a telephone (landline or voice-over-internet protocol), cell phone, and the internet, by age, is available on request from Statistics New Zealand.

The most recent Household Use of ICT survey data is for 2012.[1] The results for men and women were almost the same, so we have not graphed this data.

The 2012 survey found that 87% of households had a landline. The 2006 and 2009 surveys did not collect this data, but data on landline telephones and cellphones is collected in the census. In its 2010 Social Report, the Ministry of Social Development reported that 98% of the population had access to a telephone and/or cellphone at home in 2006 (up from 96% in 2001), compared to 99% for people aged 65+.[2]

We have graphed the data for each of the following indicators by 10-year age group.

  • Figure 1 shows that a lower proportion of people aged 65+ had home internet access than other age groups, and were less likely to be recent internet users.
  • Figure 2 shows that access to broadband is similar for all age groups, but a higher proportion of people aged 75+ had dial-up access.
  • Figure 3 shows that a greater proportion of people aged 65+ used desktop computers (rather than other devices) to connect to the internet than other age groups.

The detailed tables from each survey also report information by other parameters, such as ethnicity, income band, region, and urban/rural.
How entities use the data

Information from the Household Use of ICT survey is used to understand how ICT is changing our economy and society.[3] The collection of this data, along with the Business Use of ICT surveys, creates a comprehensive set of internationally comparable statistics.
Entity responsible for this indicator Statistics New Zealand

Figure 1: Proportion of people who had home internet access and were recent internet users, 2012

Figure 1: The proportion of people who had home internet access and were recent internet users, 2012.

Source: table 2b, www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/information_technology_and_communications/HouseholdUseofICT_HOTP2012.aspx.

Figure 2: Proportion of recent adult internet users who accessed the internet using broadband or dial-up, 2012

Figure 2: The proportion of recent adult internet users who accessed the internet using broadband or dial-up, 2012.

Source: table 2c, www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/information_technology_and_communications/HouseholdUseofICT_HOTP2012.aspx.

Figure 3: Devices that recent adult internet users used to access the internet, 2012

Figure 3: Devices that recent adult internet users used to access the internet, 2012.

Source: table 7b, www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/information_technology_and_communications/HouseholdUseofICT_HOTP2012.aspx.

[1] www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/information_technology_and_communications/HouseholdUseofICT_HOTP2012.aspx.

[2] Ministry of Social Development, Social Report 2010, Telephone and internet access in the home, socialreport.msd.govt.nz/social-connectedness/telephone-internet-access.html.

[3] www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/information_technology_and_communications/hhold-use-of-ict.aspx.

page top