South Africans are more optimistic about the country this year than they were last year, an Ipsos global market research poll that provides information to help investors make decisions, has found.
The poll, which sampled 1,000 people through telephonic interviews tracked whether SA is going in the right or wrong direction in January 2025 and shows a significant decrease in concern in the country over inequality, corruption and inflation throughout the month.
However, the growing concern over unemployment and violent crime in recent years continues.
Ipsos found from the start to the end of January there was about a 10% drop in concern about corruption and a slight decrease in anxiety around issues of inequality in SA.
This is in contrast to corruption and inequality being identified as key drivers to how South Africans voted in the 2024 general elections and suggests there is confidence in the Government of National Unity (GNU) among citizens.
The GNU, a coalition of 10 political parties, still faces the daunting task of balancing fiscal pressures against the urgent need to improve living conditions among ordinary South Africans.
The ANC’s loss of majority in the May 2024 general elections has heightened the stakes as the party tries to win back confidence in the electorate.
Political analyst Frans Cronjé said the Ipsos poll looked to be on the right track.
“[If you go some months back], you see sharp improvement after the GNU announcement and then that reversing into the present as the GNU disappoints," Cronjé said.
Electoral analyst Wayne Sussman says it is to early to tell if the GNU has long-term sustainability.
“The sharp drop in poverty and social inequality is interesting to me. Corruption being down, also suggests the GNU is having some effect but of concern is that there is far more worry about unemployment in SA than in most other countries and that should worry the GNU, greatly. How does the GNU create investment to create more jobs, is the big question?” Sussman said.
Cronjé added the GNU needed to start improving the material lives of citizens.
“The GNU needs to increase the number of jobs and real income levels; the formula is literally that simple but given the growth outlook the GNU won’t achieve that to the extent needed to maintain public confidence in the GNU,” Cronjé said.
In the lead-up to the national and provincial elections, polls including Ipsos conducted surveys that indicated the ANC’s support would dip below 50%.
An Ipsos poll in March 2024 showed ANC support falling to 39% nationally on a 66% turnout, DA 27%, MK 13%, EFF 10% and IFP 2%.
In April last year, however, Ipsos released another survey in which the ANC was projected to drop to 40.2%, down from the 40.5% it polled on February 6 and 43% on October 27 2023.
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