The chart illustrates the proportion of households with some types of electronic goods in New Zealand in 2002 and 2020. Overall, most items experienced an upward trend except for video recorder, with washing machine and colour TV being the most popular items in both years.
In 2002, the most widely owned electronic items were washing machines and colour TVs, with 97% and 95% of New Zealand households owning them, respectively. The figure for video recorder was lower, at 75%, followed by computer and dishwasher, at 50% and 45% in that order. Meanwhile, cell phones were found in 20% of homes, while digital cameras were owned by a mere 2%.
After 18 years, color televisions had reached near-universal levels, surpassing washing machines to become the most ubiquitous household item, with ownership rate of 99% and 98%, respectively. Notably, the most noticeable growth was witnessed in the ownership of cell phones, which surged to 80% – a fourfold increase. Similarly, the prevalence of computers, dishwashers, and digital cameras also rose, although not as significantly, to 78%, 55%, and 40%, correspondingly. In contrast, video recorder was the only category that experienced a downward trend, dropping by 15% to 60% in 2020.