By Ragheema Mclean
The 2024 African Youth Survey Report has revealed that a staggering 74% of South African youth believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.
The survey, which gathered responses from 1,000 young South Africans, highlighted a growing sense of pessimism among the nation’s youth, with only 16% expressing optimism about the future.
The report identifies corruption and limited access to job opportunities as key factors fuelling negative sentiment among South Africa’s young people.
Speaking on VOC’s Sunday Live show Kristal Duncan-Williams, Project Lead at Youth Capital highlighted the dire implications of these findings for the future of young South Africans.
“In our research at Youth Capital, we have found that local municipality-level corruption and nepotism are what young people experience daily. They also see and hear about it on a national level through the news,” said Duncan-Williams.
“They see the impact of corruption, and they are also angered by that. This survey’s results reflect all those sentiments.”
“Social media has an impact on how people view the world, especially young people who live much of their lives online. When the reality is that things don’t work in the place you live, young people are bound to lose confidence in the government.”
Duncan-Williams said the challenges faced by young South Africans are multifaceted.
“When you live in communities where there are still pit toilets, the schools are rundown, and gangs control the community, it is not surprising that young people feel like their futures are bleak,” Duncan-Williams added.
She said that at Youth Capital, the group focuses on bridging the gap between policymakers and the lived experiences of the youth.
“Our goal is to get decision-makers to understand what it means to be young and the challenges that young people face,” Duncan-Williams emphasized.
“We want to ensure that the policies and programs they implement are based on current research and reflect the lived experiences and perceptions of young people.”
VOC News
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