What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to assess financial literacy and competency among South African adults amid economic challenges.

May 24, 2026Open Access

South Africans under duress: economic hard times, COVID-19 and beyond: briefing report 2

Key Points

The aim is to assess financial literacy and competency among South African adults amid economic challenges.
Data collected from a nationally representative multitopic survey.
Survey commissioned by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority and conducted by Human Sciences Research Council.
Fieldwork began in late February 2020, with approximately 40% completed before lockdown.
Survey data aims to reflect comprehensive insights into financial behavior under economic duress.
Early data collection indicates widespread economic distress faced by adults.

Abstract

Data for this brief is drawn from a nationally representative survey of all adults (16 years and older) in South Africa. The multitopic survey was commissioned by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) and undertaken by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) to better understand patterns of financial literacy and competency in the country. It forms part of a long-running survey partnership initiated in 2010. Fieldwork for this round of the survey began in late February 2020 but was suspended a few days prior to the 27 March 2020 lockdown implementation. At this stage, approximately 40% of interviewing (n=1066) had been completed.

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Cite This Study

Human Sciences Research Council (Fri,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a1296c748a0ea1665673cf8 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.14749/32362698

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