We commissioned Nielsen IQ to survey around 3,100 people from across New Zealand in 2025 to measure our social licence.
Report summary
What New Zealanders said
The results show that trust in us continues to grow, and that people who understand what we do are more confident in how we collect, manage, and use data.
More knowledge, more trust
People who know us well are significantly more likely to trust us. Overall, 65 percent of respondents said Stats NZ is an organisation they trust, and nearly half reported full or moderate confidence in the data we produce. Survey participation also remains high, with 81 percent of those invited taking part in a Stats NZ survey in the past year.
Awareness is still a challenge
Although trust is high among those who know us, the report shows that general awareness of Stats NZ remains limited. Some respondents say they do not know enough about what we do to form a clear opinion. This means that building visibility and explaining our role in the everyday lives of the people of New Zealand should remain an important focus.
People want to know more about what happens to their data
A key theme in the report is that the public want clearer information about how their data is used, how it is kept safe, and who it is shared with. Many of the reasons people hesitate to take part in our surveys relate directly to uncertainty about data handling. This shows that continuing to explain our processes in simple and accessible ways will help build confidence.
Social licence work
Stats NZ's social licence for data stewardship September 2025 reports on the June-July 2025 survey of our social licence. It reflects changes from:
- A social licence approach to trust, our first survey, published in 2018
- Stats NZ's social licence for data stewardship, the 2019 report of the survey
- Stats NZ's social licence for data stewardship, the 2020 report of the survey
- Stats NZ's social licence for data stewardship, the 2021 report of the survey
- Stats NZ's social licence for data stewardship, the 2022 report of the survey.
We define social licence as the permission we have to make decisions about the management and use of the public's data. It's about ensuring New Zealanders have trust and confidence in the way their data is managed.
