Providing a Benchmark  
Understanding of Digital Identity 
Among New Zealanders
Kia ora,
Digital Identity NZ are proud to be working with Yabble to find out more about what Kiwis think about 
how their identity is used in an online world. The results of the survey indicate that we as a community  
have a lot of work to do to build trust and confidence in our online interactions, and especially in how 
data is used.  This survey is an important and informative starting point for the next phase of our work, 
and we wish to acknowledge and thank our sponsoring organisations Internet NZ, Centrality and  
ASB, and the wonderful team at Yabble for donating their time to the project.
Ngā Mihi, 
Andrew Weaver 
Executive Director
79% of New Zealanders are concerned  
about the protection of their identity and 
use of personal data by organisations
What are they most worried about?
Their data being shared  
Their credit card  
Their data being  
89% with a third party without   88% or banking details  
88% sold to a third party  
their permission
being stolen
without their permission
Their personal data  
Their identity  
Their data being used to  
88% being hacked or leaked 
87% being stolen or  
82% profile or advertise to them 
online 
used fraudulently
without their permission
Who’s most concerned?
GENDER
76%
77%
81%
82%
AGE
18-34
73%
69%
35-54
78%
55+
82%
With 73% of New Zealanders having claimed to have made a change  
to their online behaviour due to privacy concerns in the last 12 months
5%
Only
of New Zealanders feel confident about  
their rights when it comes to their digital  
identity and data storage…
With... 58% And...
saying they don’t know how to  
68%
 saying they currently find it hard to  
protect their identity & data online
protect their identity & control the use  
of their personal data online 
The KEY BARRIERS for New Zealanders to be in control of their data: 
% Who A
85% Lack of  
Having to share 
transparency  
data with so  
about data use
82% many companies gree or S
80%  Business  
making it hard  
to opt out 
tr
ongly A
70% Lack of 
technology solutions  
76%  Lack of  
to help me 
education 
Lack of  
gr
regulation  
ee 
69%  / govt. policy 
Only
New Zealanders are fully 
1 in 20 satisfied with the current 
experience of registering 
new accounts…
How satisfied are you with the current experience of registering  
new accounts i.e. the process of sharing your personal data / 
identity with businesses or organisations?
22% DISSATISFIED
44%  
19%  
5%
SOMEWHAT  
29% 
SOMEWHAT   3%
SATISFIED
UNSURE
DISSATISFIED
EXTREMELY
EXTREMELY
SATISFIED
DISSATISFIED
Key pain points centre around remembering passwords and user 
names for a multitude of places…
Having to remember multiple  
Having to sign up and share your personal 
78% passwords and user names for  
57% details and prove who you are every time you 
different websites, apps etc.
want to set up a new account or service 
Keeping your physical address  
Providing your credit card  
53% up-to-date with all accounts 
37% details to every place you make 
/contacts when you move house
a purchase online  
93% of New Zealanders find the idea 
of being more in control of their 
digital identity appealing…
Why do they 
But they’re  
 like this idea?
concerned about…
•  It would make them feel more 
•  Loss of control of personal data 
secure / more in control
and freedom i.e. the government 
•  It would provide a one stop /  
or central body holding this  
simple solution
information on citizens 
•  It would help reduce fraud / 
•  Expense to obtain &  maintain 
scams online 
 “Being in control of  
my digital identity is the 
 “Dislike cause I wouldn’t 
way life should be.”
like to be controlled.”
% Who Find Idea A
With strong appeal for ideas that provide New Zealanders  
with more transparency and control of their personal identity…
pp
eal
93%
91%
83%
ing or V
er
y A
The ability for you to grant, 
Full visibility in one 
A single sign in solution  
pp
deny and withdraw permission 
location of who has 
that allows you to manage 
eal
for a business or organisation 
access to your identity 
your identity / personal data  ing
to access your identity /  
/ personal data online 
and who has access to it
personal data 
Study details:
Online survey conducted 1st – 14th April 2019
Designed to provide a robust baseline metric of identity  
awareness and understanding among the New Zealand public
Total of 1,092 people answered the survey online
Representative of New Zealand population 18 years plus by age, 
gender, ethnicity and location
Margin of error on results of +/- 3%

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