Australia in the digital economy: Trust and confidence

• Australian Communications and Media Authority
• Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)

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11 March 2009This report is the first in the ACMA Australia in the Digital Economy series highlighting changing trends in the take-up and use of the internet by Australian consumers. It presents the findings of quantitative research into the attitudes and behaviours of Australian internet users regarding their online security. It seeks to build an understanding of the levels of trust and confidence in the internet and the factors which may facilitate or
inhibit online confidence. Australians value the internet and see it as critical to their daily lives. Over 11 million Australians use the internet for a wide range of activities relating to communications, business and social activities. Twenty-seven per cent of Australian internet users trust the
internet as a valued source of information and prefer it to traditional media, such as newspapers, radio and the television. However, while Australians overwhelmingly see the internet as having affected their lives positively, they still have concerns about the potential for the internet to negatively affect their privacy and security.