New research finds that president Jacob Zuma’s approval ratings among South Africans has plummeted to an all time low.

Zuma has come under fire following the public protector’s report on the taxpayer-funded security upgrades at his Nkandla homestead.

A survey conducted by market research company TNS’s Metro OmniChek, found that the number of people who agree President Zuma is doing a good job has been declining over time and is now at the lowest it has ever been, with just over one third (34%) agreeing with the statement, compared to almost 60% five years ago.

The survey, conducted between 7 and 20 February 2014, had a sample size of just under 2,000 and was fully representative of South African adults in terms of race, gender and the seven major metropolitan areas.

The Born Frees showed a similar trend, with 40% agreeing that he is doing a good job compared to the national average of 34%.

Born Frees make up 40% of the current total population in South Africa, and were born after the end of apartheid in 1994, only knowing life under a democratic ANC leadership.

The survey authors noted that as age increases, there was a decline in the proportion of respondents that agree that Jacob Zuma is doing a good job as president, particularly amongst those 50 years and older (29% compared to the national average of 34%).

When asked more specific questions around their feelings towards South Africa and their expectations for the future, the youth tended to be as, if not more, enthusiastic than older respondents.

Born Frees were more likely to feel positive about the future of South Africa than older respondents (81% compared to 71%) and less likely than older respondents to agree that the country is headed for social and economic collapse (51% compared to 60%).

Statistics South Africa recently revealed that the national unemployment rate has increased to 25.5%, while the country narrowly averted a recession with economic growth of 0.6% in the second quarter of the year.

According to senior researcher at TNS, Kambe Mwaba, this suggests that, in spite of socio-economic challenges such as service delivery and high youth unemployment, with more than half of South African youth unemployed according to the World Economic Forum Global Risk Report (the third highest in the world), Born Frees remain relatively upbeat about their futures, as well as the future of the country.

The study was conducted amongst 1996 adults (1,288 black people, 355 white people, 244 coloured people and 109 Indians/Asians) in the seven major metropolitan areas.

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