It turns out Kiwis don't really pay attention to burglar alarms.

A survey commissioned by AA Insurance shows just one in three New Zealanders would investigate a triggered burglar alarm in someone else's home.

And only 38% of the 1100 people surveyed actually have a burglar alarm installed.

Of that, less than half said they always turn it on when they went out.

Despite this, a quarter of people surveyed said they'd had their houses broken into when they went away for more than 24-hours.

“This kind of security apathy could be the reason behind fewer Kiwis activating their alarms when they leave their homes,” said Amelia Macandrew, Customer Relations Manager, AA Insurance.

“They simply don’t believe that anyone will check on their property if their burglar alarm is set off, or are concerned it will annoy the neighbours if it’s triggered mistakenly.

“Yet alarms remain a great deterrent to thieves, who would sooner choose a property that won’t highlight their whereabouts.”