South Africa follows these international trends quite closely, and it is both comforting – in that we’re not alone in this mess – and disturbing – in that the entire world seems to be falling apart.
Of course, due to South Africa’s low level of internet access, the statistics that follow should not be considered nationally representative, but representative of a more affluent, internet-connected population. It’s safe to assume, though, that these concerns are echoed throughout the entire country.
For example, of all countries tested by Ipsos, South Africa ranks the highest (69%) for concerns about financial and political corruption.
That’s easy to understand.
Our second greatest concern is to do with the alarmingly high rate of crime and violence (59%), followed by a high unemployment rate and lack of jobs (57%).
Again, you only need to open a newspaper, turn on the news or indeed – take a look out of your window – to understand how prevalent these problems are, and how they’ve set the nation on edge.
Here are the biggest concerns in the world, and how South African’s rank them: