“The results indicate that as a nation, South Africans confess to being the most stubborn when it comes to asking for directions, and as a result, 97% of those surveyed admit to getting lost at some point along a journey,” says Woon Peng, head of software and services for Nokia in sub-Saharan Africa.
The research results across all 12 500 people in 13 countries confirmed that, unlike South Africans, globally there are more people getting lost in London than anywhere else in the world, including cities such as Bangkok and Beijing, which are nearly twice the size of London.
Moreover, when lost in London or Johannesburg, be wary of asking the locals for directions, as one in three Londoners admit to deliberately giving people the wrong directions, and one in three Johannesburg residents would prefer to give wrong directions to appear knowledgeable.
More than 25% of people surveyed rely on online and mobile navigation tools to find their way around.
Pretoria has the highest usage of vehicle satellite-navigation devices in SA. More specifically, 13% of people use a mobile phone as their primary navigation tool, from a zero base just a few years ago.
The country with the world's best sense of direction is Germany, where a third of people claim to have never lost their way. Unsurprisingly, it is also the country with the highest reliance on satellite navigation.
One in 10 women admits to not being able to read a traditional map, twice the number of men. This suggests that the end of the traditional map and compass is fast approaching, with map reading skills across the world generally considered poor.
One in five people believe a sense of direction is genetic and those that have a bad sense of direction are simply born that way. However, having a good sense of direction seems rare and, despite huge advances in online maps and mobile navigation, almost everyone surveyed (93%) still get lost regularly, with the average person wasting 13 minutes each time they do. This has big implications for some, with one in 10 missing a job interview, an important business meeting or flight because they lost their way.
Getting lost is affecting people's personal lives as well, with South Africans ranking as the most likely nation around the world to miss a sporting event due to getting lost.
“More people are becoming comfortable with using navigation tools on their phones and in their cars, and are seeing direct benefits from using these devices in their everyday lives,” says Marita Markkula, head of marketing for Nokia Maps. “People can customise the navigation features in their phones according to the routes they take, and updating information is quicker and easier than with traditional maps.”
When approached by strangers asking for directions, many people use iconic landmarks such as statues, churches and bridges as recognisable ‘breadcrumbs' to a destination. However, people in Britain prefer to use local pubs to signpost directions to others. In another reflection of city culture and makeup, the Chinese typically use skyscrapers to give directions.
”With cities growing so rapidly and new roads and buildings being built all the time, people are relying more on mobile navigation tools that are always with them. The development of turn-by-turn pedestrian navigation is a technology that should be embraced, as it helps people reach their destination easily,” continues Markkula.
Other research highlights in SA
Notes: The research conducted by ICM among 12 500 people in 13 countries during 1 - 23 October 2008. Countries where the research was conducted were: UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Australia, Brazil, China, UAE, Russia, Singapore, India and South Africa.
