Public Understanding of Censorship
In 2006 the Classification Office commissioned a study to find out what New Zealanders thought about the classification system and the work of the Classification Office itself. The research explored the public's understanding of how classification works in New Zealand, and their perceptions of it.
The research was done by an internet survey
The research surveyed the opinions of 2611 New Zealanders aged 18 years or older by asking them to complete an online form. Participants were asked questions including:
- how often they watched films and DVDs
- how much they knew about the classification system
- whether they thought the classification system was too strict, too liberal, or just right.
most were satisfied with the classification system
Participants were asked what they thought of the current system for classifying films and other publications. 64% felt that the current system was 'about right'. 25% thought that it was too lenient, 10% thought it was a bit too strict, and 1% felt it was much too strict.
classifications and descriptive notes were important
Participants were asked to rank on a scale of 0 (not important at all) to 10 (very important) the importance of classifications and descriptive notes in their choice of film, video, DVD or video game. 43% of participants ranked the importance of the classification at 7 or higher, and 53% ranked the importance of the descriptive note at 7 or higher.
The research also showed that classifications and descriptives notes were important to parents when making choices about films, DVDs and video games for their children. 85% ranked the importance of the classification and the descriptive note at 7 or higher.
watching DVDs was more popular than playing computer games or going to the cinema
When asked how often they watched DVDs, 43% said they watched DVDs or videos at least once a week. 32% said they played computer or console games a least once a week, including 10% who played them every day. The participants went to the movies less regularly, with only 25% saying they went at least once a month.
most understood the classification labels
Participants were asked to match the correct meaning to each classification. While almost everyone knew the meanings of the G, PG, R16 and R18 labels (R13, the RP's and the R15 weren't included in this survey), a lot of people were unsure about what the M classification label meant.
Read the research report on the Public Understanding of Censorship (PDF v7.0, 1.33MB)
