While Most Countries Are Worried About Terrorism, New Survey Reveals That South Africans Are Worried About Corruption

A survey of eight countries has found that when it comes to world news, most of the rest of the world is worried about terrorism, while South Africans are more concerned about corruption.
The survey, which was conducted by YouGov on behalf of BBC World News involved the USA, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and India, and had a total sample size of 7,691 adults. 500 of these were South Africans.


With regards to the countries polled 70% were concerned with terrorism, 59% were worried about war, health accounted for 55% and the environment averaged at 52%.

In South Africa however, corruption was cited as the biggest issue.

Corruption has long been a serious issue in South Africa - whether it be the Nkandla scandal, allegations that South Africa bribed its way into hosting the World Cup in 2010, government officials holding fake degrees or various tender scandals.

Another finding from the study is that more people feel that world news is more relevant than it was before.

"Sixty-nine percent of people surveyed said they are more concerned about world events now than they have ever been before and nearly two thirds (64 percent) say that news stories from other parts of the world feel more relevant to them than they have in the past," the BBC said in its media statement.

“At a time when many news providers are cutting their international coverage, and opinion and propaganda are being touted as fact, audiences want to cut through the noise in search of information they can use to inform their understanding and decisions.

"As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, access to accurate, impartial news, whether on TV, radio, online or social media, is more important than ever,” said Jim Egan, CEO of BBC Global News Ltd.