Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in South Africa
South Africa: Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" was 23.3% in 2014. ▼ Falling
Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in South Africa, 1984–2014
Source: Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2014, share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in South Africa stood at 23.3%.
The figure is up 102.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in South Africa peaked at 26.6% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 11.5%, in 2004.
That places South Africa 26th out of 39 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 26.1% | 26.1% | 26.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 22.1% | 17.6% | 26.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.5% | 11.5% | 11.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 23.3% | 23.3% | 23.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More social development data for South Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 55,177 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 1,319 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score -0.5153 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 2,575 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 82,358 (2025)
- Forcibly displaced people 137,535 (2025)
- Press freedom 1 (2016)
- Self-reported life satisfaction 5.01 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in South Africa?
- Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in South Africa was 23.3% in 2014, according to Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 26.6% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5% in 2004.
- How does South Africa rank for share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted"?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 39 countries with data for 2014.
- Is share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 102.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted". Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
% of respondents replying "Most people can be trusted" when asked "Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you need to be very careful in dealing with people?" Possible answers include "Most people can be trusted", "Do not know" and "Need to be very careful".