The State of the Online Nation is a nationwide study commissioned by Netsafe that took place between 1-12 July 2021. It asked 809 people aged between 18 and 60 about online safety. Participants represented the New Zealand population in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion and region.

Key findings:

• 68 percent of respondents believe the internet is more dangerous than it was five years ago and it will be even more dangerous in 2026 according to 52 percent of people surveyed.
• Aotearoa has a somewhat pessimistic outlook on the internet – many think there is a range of things that can be done to make it safer, including education.
• Fifty-two percent had experienced an online safety issue in the past year. Of those who had, 23 percent were exposed to unwanted contact on social media, 11 percent were tracked using technology without their consent, and 10 percent received and then passed on information they passed on that later proved false. Seven percent were bullied or harassed.
• More than 102,000 people (three percent) indicated they had intimate images or videos shared without their consent. 
• On a brighter note, 71 percent of people think the internet and digital technologies have positively impacted them, and most people support a range of measures to improve the overall safety of the internet and those accessing it.