JOLEEN STEYN KOTZE and BENJAMIN ROBERTS
THE mood among South Africans has soured. The latest findings from the representative survey that’s done every year by the country’s Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) shows some disturbing new trends.
The most marked are:
- a decline in levels of life satisfaction as a whole
- a downturn in people’s views about what lies ahead in their lives
- a growing sense of despondency, and
- a declining satisfaction with democracy.
The sense of hopelessness and despondency with democracy that emerges from the survey does not bode well for the future of the country’s democracy. As the survey shows, as despondency increases, so too does a sense of hopelessness.
The 2021 survey – with the most recent available results – consisted of 2,996 South Africans aged 16 years and older living in private residences. The data were benchmarked and weighted to be representative of the adult population.
The survey echoes key points in
You’ve reached your free article limit
Subscribe to enjoy unlimited access to trusted journalism. Cancel anytime.
Subscribe nowNeed help? molokom@insidepolitic.co.za
