Increasing numbers of New Zealanders are finding their news online - and more will do so in the coming year according to a survey by Auckland company Impact PR.

More than two-thirds of New Zealanders have read a newspaper online, on a smartphone or a tablet app in the past year, the survey shows.

More and more people are consuming news online according to Impact PR.

And the high uptake of digital media is not confined to younger generations.

More than three-quarters of those surveyed aged from 35-to-44 had accessed news online, as well as 61 per cent of those surveyed aged over 65.

One in five Kiwis expects to read newspapers online or via an app in the next 12 months.

'Clearly the emergence of online newspapers is something that Kiwis have taken to quickly and I think this growth is likely to continue as the convenience of digital media becomes even more ubiquitous through smart devices,” says Impact PR director Fleur Revell.

With around 800,000 unique page impressions per week, SunLive is now the third-largest newspaper/magazine website in the country (domestic traffic), behind national outlets Stuff and the NZ Herald.

While many people are expecting to increase their use of digital media when it comes to news and reading books, there are widespread concerns about how this will affect literacy.

Fleur adds: 'Over half of those surveyed believe the increasing digital media consumption in New Zealand will have a negative impact on literacy levels here.

'Even the 18-24 year olds who have grown up in a digitally-savvy world are concerned, with 47 per cent believing this will have a negative result.”

While people are happy to go online for news, consumers still prefer their magazines printed, with just 25 per cent of people saying they have downloaded or read an electronic magazine in the last year.

Most consumers also don't intend to seek out magazines in a digital form either - with 41 per cent of those surveyed not intending to download or view an e-magazine in the next 12 months.

Digital radio and TV are both seeing increases in popularity. Nearly half of those surveyed (47 per cent) listened to radio online or on a phone or tablet in the last year, and 17 per cent intend to consume more over the coming 12 months.

The uptake of TV content online is high, with 59 per cent of those surveyed having watched TV online, while a third of people also plan to do so for the first time in the coming year.