Black S Africans 'optimistic'

2008-04-01 13:26

Johannesburg - Black South Africans are still optimistic about the country and its future, according to research conducted by TNS Research Surveys, released on Tuesday.

TNS - which has conducted surveys since 2004 on how people perceive South Africa and it's future - said that people in metro areas had reached the lowest point in terms of their optimism in the recent survey.

Director of innovation and development Neil Higgs said while blacks were generally more positive and maintained a steady trend, whites had shown a dramatic drop from 59% in 2005 to 31% this year.

Higgs said coloureds had been trending downwards since 2005 while the Asian figures were erratic, though showing a slow decline.

"Levels of optimism show remarkable robustness. However, the reading in February 2008 is the lowest in four years," he said.

The survey showed that the Vaal Triangle and South Rand areas had the most optimistic people - while the least were found in Cape Town and Durban.

"Younger people, those aged 18 to 24 years, are more positive than those aged 50 to 59. Amongst blacks, people whose home language is Xhosa are the most positive," Higgs said.

He said 69% of the unemployed in the survey were more optimistic than the other groups.

Higgs said the studies were conducted amongst a sample of 2 000 adults of which 1 260 were black, 385 whites, 240 coloureds and 115 Asians.

- SAPA