The table presents data on the percentage of New Zealand households owning various electronic goods in 1998 and 2002. Overall, washing machine ownership remained stable across both years, while video recorder usage declined noticeably. In contrast, most other goods saw upward trends, with digital cameras and cell phones recording the most dramatic increases.
Washing machines and colour TVs were the most common household appliances in both years. While washing machine ownership stayed constant at 98%, colour TV ownership rose slightly from 95% to 97%.
Computers were owned by half of all households in 1998, rising considerably to 78% by 2002. Cell phone ownership was the most striking change among all goods, quadrupling from just 20% to 80% over the four-year period. Video recorders, by contrast, were the only item to decline, falling from 75% to 60%.
Finally, dishwashers and digital cameras had the lowest ownership rates in 1998, at 18% and just 2% respectively. However, both increased sharply – dishwasher ownership rose to 55%, while digital camera ownership surged to 39% by 2002.