MEDIA RELEASE

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

Next Report Reveals the Internet is the Number One Safety Concern Among NZ Women

New research by NEXT magazine has found the internet has become the number one safety concern of Kiwi women, with overwhelming numbers believing they are more at risk online than they are out in their community. An in-depth survey of over 1000 New Zealand women has found while three quarters use the internet several times a day, 60% worry about online safety and security. By contrast, only 6% are concerned about the safety of their own neighbourhoods.

This news comes from the NEXT Report, a 10-part series running in the monthly title. Every four years, NEXT commissions this investigation to look at the changing views of women in New Zealand and gain a greater understanding of the particular triumphs and challenges Kiwi women face.

“We knew from previous NEXT stories that there was growing caution amongst our readers about online security, but we were still surprised by just how high those numbers were,” NEXT editor Rachael Russell says. “When you consider that those surveyed were 10 times more concerned with the risks associated with online safety than they were in their own community, it makes you realise how much the landscape has changed.”

Martin Cocker, executive director of online watchdog Netsafe, believes that this concern about online safety is representative of the challenges that e-commerce and social media bring. He says that it’s our fear of the unknown which drives our worries about online safety and security. “There’s a fear that because you’re not a technology expert you’ll make a mistake that’s going to cost you a lot of money or have a really negative effect on your life”.

With easy accessibility and such regular use of the internet – 83% of Kiwi women use a smartphone and 39% use social media every day – it’s no wonder so many women feel vulnerable and are concerned about their online safety. In this second instalment of the NEXT Report, running in the June issue, we look at why so many people feel anxious about the internet, with a focus on cyber-bullying and scams.

In the future, the NEXT Report will look at topics like success and ambition, gender equality, guilt and family and the rise of loneliness in the younger generation. Being a modern woman comes with many highs and lows, and NEXT magazine is the perfect outlet to look at the issues they face.

For more digital updates from NEXT and to read the full report, visit New Zealand’s largest website for women and NEXT’s new online home www.nowtolove.co.nz.

The NEXT report has been compiled from the results of a nationally representative survey of 1,087 New Zealand women aged 15+ conducted by Bauer Media in October 2016. The margin of error is +/-3. It was first conducted in 2008.

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