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2018 was a year filled with very few hopeful moments with the South African collective psyche moving from one president to another, from one scandal to another and from one death to another.
Despite this gloomy year, South Africans – or at least those with regular access to the internet – are 86% optimistic that their “2019 will be a better year for me”.
This is according to an Ipsos Global Advisor poll that was carried out in 31 countries at the end of 2018 and released on Thursday. The poll covered a range of topics on the economy, world affairs, technological advancements and society and culture.
The 21 000 adults surveyed worldwide for poll took place online, thus excluding a large part of South Africans who do not have regular access to the internet.
Despite this glaring caveat, the poll does at least give some insight into how regular internet users perceive the world and their country.
When it comes to the economy, 35% of online South Africans believe that we will have a major market crash, slightly lower than the world average at 37%. However, it is interesting to note that in the so-called more developed countries such as Great Britain and Russia, almost half the people believe the markets will crash.
Where South Africans have most of the world beat is the likelihood of a terrorist attack on our shores, with a measly 26% thinking one is likely. South American countries like Peru, Argentina and Mexico were even less concerned with a terrorist attack, with all polls under 20%.
When it comes to technology, online South Africans aren’t concerned about a leak of their personal data – 60% say they are unlikely to use less social media, even if 45% believe their data will be leaked. This is particularly stark when taken with the opportunity for connectivity growth, because 84% of online South Africans expect to watch less television and spend more time online.
Society and culture
Being the self-proclaimed protest capital of the world, 74% of South Africans believe that large-scale public unrest is in the offing, almost 20% higher than the global average.
When it comes to gender parity, just more than half (52%) of South Africans are optimistic about it but only 43% believe it will happen soon.
Racism, tolerance and social cohesion strike a chord with every South African and with the increase of intolerance worldwide and in the country, only 30% of those surveyed online believe tolerance is likely. A whopping 65% say it is not likely anytime soon.
But South Africans will always have their ghost stories, with 22% believing the human race will finally find proof of the supernatural. This is convincingly higher than the global average, which sits at 16%.
