Confidence in the New Zealand news media appears to be low, according to new research.

In a telephone survey of 750 New Zealanders aged over 18 years, a quarter of respondents thought the media was inaccurate, almost a third (30 percent) said journalists were one-sided when presenting news, and half said the media was unwilling to admit mistakes.

The UMR Research survey found a general pattern showing that the older people were the less accurate or balanced they said the news was.

It also found that men were significantly more likely to say the media was unwilling to admit to mistakes than women.

UMR executive director Tim Grafton said the results did not come as a surprise as the media had fared poorly in past surveys.

"What was of most concern was how few people said the media was accurate and balanced in its news reporting," Mr Grafton said.

The survey, which was conducted September 24-27, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percent.