Over 50% of people in Australia would not purchase a house near a 5G tower, a new poll revealed on Tuesday.
A survey of 1,000 people by Telco comparison site WhistleOut surveying public attitudes toward 5G amid widespread rollouts around the country found that one in four believe the technology is a health risk, 27% are concerned that it could be used for spying, and 56% said they would not but a house near a 5G tower.
10% of respondents said they think 5G increases susceptibility to Covid-19.
The survey also discovered that despite 91% of people understanding that 5G offers faster network speeds, only one-third knew of its other advantages such as lower latency (31%), and only 32% were informed of it allowing more simultaneously connected devices.
Half of the respondents were still unclear about what the technology entails.
WhistleOut spokesperson Kenny McGilvary said while there were concerns over health risks associated with 5G in the early days of the technology's development, those reservations have largely been "put to bed".
"We have been fielding fewer questions about 5G health risks, and the launch of the iPhone 12 range appeared to have changed the focus of the 5G conversation towards what it can do for us, rather than what it might do to us", he said.
He described the survey results as a surprise.
"It's clear many people are cautious about our 5G future, with more than half of all respondents saying they won't buy a house with a 5G tower in the area, and less than half wanting to live in a fully connected 5G world."
A number of baseless conspiracy theories have circulated relating to the 5G rollout, including some that assert a connection with the spread of coronavirus. New 5G masts have been vandalised in a number of countries due to the unsubstantiated theories.
