The Panda People say in a statement there was an overwhelmingly positive sentiment regarding the former president amongst young South Africans, but they were not that positive about the current leadership.When asked what they thought Nelson Mandela would be remembered for most, the majority (57%) said he would be best remembered for making South Africa a free and democratic country. 16% felt he would be most remembered for helping to end apartheid, and 14% said that being a great role model would be his biggest legacy.
When asked what their predominant feeling was about Mandela’s death, the survey found that 39% of respondents were sad that the world had lost a great leader, 21% were scared of renewed violence in South Africa, 20% felt thankful for his peaceful passing, and 16% said they felt depressed, as there were no other leaders in South Africa like him.
Asked what they would do if they were president for a day, 20% said they would tackle problems in education. This was followed by reducing unemployment (16%) and helping stop racism (16%), while 15% of respondents said they would address housing for the poor, and 11% said they would fire all corrupt politicians as their first order of business.
A national holiday was overwhelmingly seen as a good way to celebrate Mandela’s life, with 9 in 10 respondents supporting the idea of a public holiday dedicated to him.
While respondents were very positive about Mandela and his legacy, they were uncertain about the future of South Africa without him. Asked how they thought the country would change now that Nelson Mandela was gone, they were most likely to feel things would get worse without him, with 48% feeling this way. In comparison, 23% felt things would stay the same, and just 11% believed things would get better for South Africa. 18% were unsure what the future would hold.
