BRYANSTON – The recession has put a dent in travel plans, according to the latest emigration survey by market research company, Synovate. Of those South Africans who have indicated that they are definitely going to emigrate or seriously considering emigration, 56% say that plans have been delayed until the global economy is more stable.
“This certainly gives the new South African government a chance to address some of the push factors contributing to South African emigration plans – crime for example,” states Charlotte Jackson, Managing Director of Synovate.
There has been no significant decline in the number of South Africans who are definitely planning on emigrating or seriously considering it. In 2008, 20% of South Africans were inclined to leave the country, whereas in 2009, this figure has dropped only marginally to 18%.
“This is still higher than desirable,” says Jackson. “But a very definite positive is the fact that there has been an increase in the percentage of South Africans that state they have no intention of leaving South Africa.” The percentage of those who felt this in 2008 was 47% and this has been bumped up to 53% this year.
Only half of those that state they are definitely emigrating or seriously considering it have already made / intend to make a formal application for residency or work in another country and of those that have, 49% already have a job lined up.
Once again, it is those in the younger age groups that display the highest intention to move, with the highest likelihood (30%) to emigrate seen in the 18 – 24 year old age group and the lowest likelihood (9%) in the 55-64 year old category. This is most likely due to the fact that many people in the younger age groups do not necessarily have the responsibilities or even job security that the older population group currently have. “There has been a small drop in the likelihood to emigrate in the younger age group which is good news” states Jackson “However, the threat of emigration within our future potential group and most recently educated portion of the population is still a very real one”
Men show a higher propensity to emigrate than women do. 14% of women state they will definitely emigrate or are seriously considering it, compared to a much higher 21% of men. The motivation for leaving differs between the sexes – men cite better job opportunities as the primary reason for leaving whilst women are more inclined to leave for reasons of crime and violence-related reasons.
- Destination of choice. The preferred destination is currently the UK, with 25% of the vote. 23% state that they would go to Australia and 20% state that their destination of choice would be the USA. Those that are younger tend to prefer the UK as a destination, however the older age groups prefer Australia. “This might be due to the fact that the older age groups are more resistant to change and Australia offers a similar lifestyle and climate to the one enjoyed in South Africa” states Jackson.
- Peer pressure. Even for those not planning to leave our country it still remains a hot topic of discussion, and a quarter of South Africans attest to being encouraged by friends or family to leave. Of those who have children in school or university, 23% have encouraged their children to find residency in another country. A further 12% intend to encourage them to leave.
Why leave? When considering the motivations for emigration, the primary factor pushing South Africans to leave is violence, crime and corruption (82%), a substantial increase from 2008 figures (55%). Other push factors cited were the volatile economy (31%), government problems (31%), discrimination (7%) and infrastructural concerns (3%).
Although the attraction of better job or business opportunities abroad has declined from 88% in 2008 to 66% in 2009, the risk of South Africa losing core skills and the income these skills generate is still too high for comfort. Continued effort from the South African government to attract skilled foreigners will help alleviate this risk. Other attractions for emigration were the ability to have an experience in another country (36%) and the chance to join family abroad (23%).
When asked if they knew anyone who had emigrated in the last 5 years, 31% of South Africans confirmed that they did. Despite the reasons given as push factors by those who are currently looking to move, 51% of those that have already emigrated did so for work-related purposes.
On a more positive note, Synovate asked those who were considering emigration if they would return to South Africa in the future (assuming the went through with their emigration plans). Almost half stated that they would definitely or probably return to South Africa, while only 15% indicated that they probably or definitely would not.
Why stay? There was certainly no shortage of reasons to love our country. Coming out tops was the great climate boasted by South Africa (28%), which was closely followed by wanting to be close to family and friends (23%). 22% cited their love for the South African people as a primary reason to stay, while 19% pointed out the attraction of nature and wildlife. Freedom and the diversity of cultures prevelant in South Africa were also appealing.
More information on this study by Synovate can be found at www.synovate.com and www.synovate.com/southafrica.