'Happier' South Africans went to the polls

Also returning positive numbers in the random probability survey, which represents 18.5 million adults from all walks of life, are local levels of religious tolerance, with more than 70% of respondents satisfied that their faith is generally respected.

Surprisingly, a bit further down the scale, the FutureFact results show that 54% of South Africans feel the government is doing a "good" job on delivery of housing and services to communities.

Contradictory

While that figure would appear to contradict the evidence of service delivery dissatisfaction published in the Sunday Times last week, the Markinor poll commissioned by the newspaper referred only to those voters in the March 1 local elections who live in the country's six major metropolitan areas.

FutureFact, which covers all communities in South Africa with a population of 500 or more, shows that over 80% of respondents have clean water, primary and secondary schooling, rubbish removal, street lights and tarred roads in their immediate vicinity.

And historical gaps between racial groups on some of these basic amenities would appear to be closing. Today, according to FutureFact, 88% of blacks have access to clean water, compared to coloureds at 97%, Indians at 99% and whites at 97%.

Concerns

But what is of concern are South Africans' views on policies surrounding Aids, Zimbabwe, crime, poverty and unemployment.

Only 36% of respondents think the government is "doing better" in the fight against Aids, with a paltry 15% applauding its attitude to Zimbabwe. Similarly, the government's efforts to reduce crime and poverty have won over a lowly 35% of the sample. Sixty-eight percent feel the government is not doing enough to create jobs.

Commenting on the findings, FutureFact director Jos Kuper says: "The class mobility in the country has brought new opportunities in education and living standards, and there is clearly a pervading sense of optimism. Maybe that brings with it greater expectations on some of our enduring issues."

On another big-ticket voting item in the local elections yesterday, 1 March 2006, 66% of respondents feel the ruling party "has demonstrated its commitment to ending corruption".

But bundled with this result is the finding that 86% of respondents feel government officials found guilty of corruption "should never be allowed to hold office again," a number that may stand in DA leader Tony Leon's favour if voters accepted his list of 10 ANC candidates who have fallen foul of their own anti-corruption principles.

What could also have boded well for Leon on Wednesday, was the evidence of his rising popularity amongst the black youth. According to FutureFact, "trust levels" in Leon amongst black South Africans aged 16 to 34 are now at 31%, which is way above the 7% recorded in 2000. Over the six-year period, levels of trust in the DA leader amongst whites aged 16 to 34 have dropped from 69% to 55%.

It may come down to 'Trust'

Tellingly, over the same period President Thabo Mbeki's trust levels have remained the same amongst the black youth, at around 77%, and risen amongst whites, 43% to 55%.

With first-time and younger voters likely to make a big impact on the municipal election results which are expected over the next couple of days, the statistic that only 9% of South Africans feel their standards of living are "much worse" than those of their parents at the same age is significant. Twenty-five percent feel their living standards are "much better", with 28% at "somewhat better", 17% at "the same", and 11% at "somewhat worse".

Digging deeper into the research, Kuper points to the "undercurrents in South African society that clarify the experiences and attitudes that lead people to hold these views".

The country, according to the FutureFact data, is becoming "happier". Sixty-nine percent of the sample agree that in most ways their lives are "close to the ideal". Fifty-seven percent say "conditions of life are excellent" and 61% say they've got "the important things (they)want in life".

The downside of the happiness index is, appropriately, quite low. Thirty-seven percent feel "there is nothing in life that makes (them) happy and fulfilled", with the same percentage saying they "often feel depressed".

Indications of class mobility would appear to back up such views. Asking respondents to place themselves in the country's class structure, 31% returned a self-definition of "working or lower class", 45% returned "middle class" and 12% came back with "upper middle class". Two percent see themselves as "upper class" and 10% apparently "don't know" what they are.

Class facts

FutureFact also provides data on how South Africans classify others. When trying to work out "social class, standing or prestige", at 47% the right neighbourhood is what most South Africans look to first. "Position at work" comes in second at 39% and "the car they drive" is next at 35%. At the bottom is "their role in the struggle" at 5%.

Behind these materialist worldviews lies some evidence of cynicism. Sixty-five percent of respondents agree that "even in the new South Africa the uneducated will remain poor and unemployed". But with 69% answering that they "regularly attend religious services", it would appear there are certain checks to rampant capitalism.

And good news for all in Wednesday's municipal elections was that South Africans do not want to leave their country. A minimal 4% of respondents "would prefer to permanently live and work overseas".

Good, better, best...

Over the last five years, according to FutureFact 2006, South Africa has done better in the eyes of its citizens than the United States. The opinion of 54% of respondents is that South Africa has "got better" over the period, with only 33% able to say the same for the USA.

South Africa appears to be dealing with its past, the FutureFact data reveals. Fifty-eight percent of respondents believe that in terms of racial equality the country is "doing better" or has "remained the same and is still good".

Visit www.FutureFact.co.za for more information.