Kiwis ahead of Australians in smartphone banking

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Kiwis are less concerned with online privacy issues and more likely to bank through their smartphones than Australians, a survey has revealed.

The results are part of Roy Morgan Research's The Digital Universe, a report on how technology affects shopping habits, social interactions, media consumption and attitudes.

It also compared the countries' technology use. Although Kiwis were slower to buy new technology, they used it more prolifically.

Twelve thousand Kiwis were interviewed between January 2008 and June this year, and the survey revealed they were spending more online, more often and with fewer qualms about negative outcomes than those in Australia.

Just over one-third of Kiwis aged over 14 owned smartphones against more than half of Australians, but they were 25 per cent more likely to use them to check their bank accounts.

New Zealanders were also more likely than Australians to browse the web, stream videos, check their email and the news and download music.

That use was despite 61 per cent of New Zealanders having concerns about their online privacy. But in Australia, 67.1 of those interviewed expressed privacy fears.

When it came to social media use, Australians were more likely to log on using their smartphones, but Roy Morgan Research NZ general manager Pip Elliot said that may change.

"With the new iPhones 5S and 5C due to land in the next few weeks, it will be interesting to see whether more New Zealanders hop on board the smartphone juggernaut."

Kiwis also outdid Australians when it came to online spending.

Nearly half of New Zealanders (47.5 per cent) aged over 14 bought something through the internet in an average month, compared with 35.4 per cent of Australians.

Research showed our neighbours had adapted to 3D and flatscreen TVs, e-readers, laptops and tablets more quickly than New Zealanders.

While 30.2 per cent of Kiwis owned tablets and 10.4 per cent owned e-readers, those numbers were 42.1 per cent and 13.1 per cent in Australia.