Quality of Life in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Abstract

This study investigated how far the post-apartheid government has progressed in creating a better life for all South Africans. Secondary data analysis was employed using the 2008 South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) of 3321 randomly selected adult respondents. A series of general linear models examined the impact of race, gender, age, geographic location, education level, living standard measure (LSM), satisfaction with basic services, and fear of crime on quality of life (QOL) as measured respectively by subjective well-being indicators, namely happiness, life-satisfaction and optimism. 1 The main findings were that: 1) Those respondents who feared crime less, had higher LSM levels, and were satisfied with basic services reported higher levels of happiness. 2) Those respondents who had a higher LSM, feared crime less, and were more satisfied with the basic services reported higher lifesatisfaction. 3) Those respondents who were black African with lower levels of education, feared crime less, and were most satisfied with basic services displayed the most optimism about the future. We concluded that government interventions need to focus more on black Africans, the least educated, the low LSM group, those living in the urban informal areas, and those who fear crime to significantly improve South Africans' QOL. Introduction and background

Associations between violence, criminality, and cognitive control deficits among young men living in low resource communities in South Africa

“…Violence and criminality are serious public health concerns globally (Butchart, Mikton, Dahlberg, & Krug, ) and in South Africa (SA; Davids & Gaibie, ; Demombynes & Özler, ; Leoschut, ), with significant widespread social, economic, and health consequences (Lemanski, ; Wessels & Ward, ). Worldwide 1.3 million people die each year as a result of violence and approximately half a million people are murdered (Butchart et al, ).…”

Effects of Fear of Crime on Subjective Well-being: A Meta-analytic Review

“…The hedonic SWB is related to the emotional experience and the cognitive SWB with the assessment that the individual makes about his own life. Previous studies have emphasized the emotional elements of insecurity such as FoC as factors that impact not only on the perception of the environment but also on the detriment of well-being and quality of life (Adams & Serpe, 2000;Davids & Gaibie, 2011). This aspect led us to examine the relationship between FoC and SWB through literature and the effect size of this relationship, which we expected to be negative.…”

South Africa, Antarctica, and the ATS: An Unrealized Foreign Policy Leadership Opportunity

“…That may prove difficult given the current state of the South African economy. While amazing progress has been made since 1994 in lifting the life opportunities of millions of people marginalized under apartheid, there is a long way yet to go (Davids & Gaibie 2011). The World Bank notes that 'pro-poor orientation of public spending has contributed to improved social development indicators' and that South Africa is likely to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets in 'primary education, gender, several health indicators and environmental sustainability' (South Africa Overview).…”