Some 42% of South African adults are optimistic about the country moving in the right direction, an increase of eight percentage points since 2009. However, opinions are equally split with almost as many saying the country is going in the wrong direction, the Ipsos Pulse of the People study revealed.

“Following the 2014 general election, South African adults are marginally more optimistic about the direction in which the country is going.

The performance of the government on the economic terrain is also viewed slightly more positively; however, no 'pass marks' have been achieved yet,” says Ipsos director of public affairs Mari Harris.

She said it was a common international phenomenon in democracies that the mood in the country increased positively following an election. “People develop a renewed sense that things will change for the better,” explained Harris.

However, the mood can change fairly quickly depending on what happens in the aftermath of an election, as was seen by the recent elections in Greece, she said.

Meanwhile, the Ipsos Pulse of the People study also revealed that less than half of South Africans believe that the government is handling issues of economic policy well. These include different policy areas such as economic, social, governance and administration areas.

Although the government’s handling of all these issues is viewed more positively than in November 2013, less than half of South Africans believed that the government was handling these issues well, with 72% of respondents believing that the cost of living was rising faster than the official inflation rate. 

This finding raises questions about the affordability of basic items and when respondents were asked how easy or difficult it was for them and their families to afford specific items, the survey revealed that South Africans found it most difficult to save for retirement and to afford housing, making it clear that South Africans in general are struggling to make ends meet.