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Source: Reuters
New Zealanders appear willing to trade privacy for security, with most ready to submit to full-body scans at airports, according to a new survey.
The Unisys security index, which surveyed 532 people aged 18 and over, found the majority of respondents were willing to undergo a full electronic scan at the airport.
The full-body scanners, which have the ability to see through clothing, were brought into many European and North American airports this year following a terrorist's attempt to blow up an American plane on Christmas day.
Privacy campaigners have criticised the X-ray machines, saying they are the equivalent of a digital strip search.
However, of the 91% of survey respondents who said they travelled by air, 66% said they would be willing to submit to a scan. In other security measures, 67% said they would be willing to prove their identity using biometric data, such as iris scans and fingerprints, and 75% said they would be willing to provide identification, such as a passport of driver's licence, ahead of travel.
"In the three scenarios of undergoing full body scans, biometric identification and providing personal information in advance, the majority of New Zealanders say they would be willing to participate even if it meant some loss of privacy," Unisys New Zealand managing director Brett Hodgson saYS.
"These results are a real eye opener, illustrating that those who travel by air are indeed willing to participate in measures that could make their travels safer."
However, in comparison to Britain, New Zealand's results were not as emphatic.
A poll conducted in the United Kingdom showed as much as 90% of the British public was reportedly happy to use the scanners - the highest of 11 countries surveyed.
Only 45% of people in Hong Kong were in favour, and 76% of Mexicans said they were against them.
The New Zealand security survey also showed 35% of respondents were very or extremely concerned about a serious health epidemic occurring in New Zealand, while 37% were very or extremely concerned about their computer security in relation to viruses and unsolicited emails.
The survey was conducted nationally between February 16 and 22. The margin for error is 4%.
