Understanding of Censorship
It is important for the Classification Office to know what people think about New Zealand's censorship system and how much they understand it. If nobody understood or agreed with the classification system, it might be a bit pointless having one.
In 2006 we did an internet survey of 2611 people
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.
In 2011 we updated this survey and asked some new questions 
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.
Check out the updated study to see how understanding of the classification system has changed
We did an additional study which involved speaking to people to find out what they want from the classification system 
We ran focus groups to further explore some of the topics covered in the 2011 survey. People told us about the benefits of having a classification system, areas where it could improve, and what their ideal classification system would look like.
The main thing they talked about was needing a classification system for guidance when choosing films and games for themselves or young people in their care, and protection from harmful content.
Find out more about what people want from the classification system (PDF v7.0, 659kb)
