Consumption In South Africa Research Articles

Examining potential health gains arising from reduced risk consumption in South Africa via the PRIME model

ObjectivesNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for over 30% of disability-adjusted life years in South Africa. In this research, we offer an estimate of the potential reduction in NCD incidence that would arise from an improvement in diet, combined with a reduction in both tobacco and alcohol consumption.MethodsWe apply the PRIME model, which simulates the effect of risk reduction on NCD incidence. The model inputs baseline data related to the population, risky consumption behaviour and NCD incidence. The model allows for counterfactual scenarios altering the risky consumption behaviour to yield revised NCD incidence.ResultsWe find that reducing salt, tobacco and alcohol, along with improved fruit, vegetable and fiber consumption would yield a 10% reduction in NCDs from the 2018 baseline. NCD incidence reductions arise primarily from ischemic heart disease (49%), cerebrovascular diseases (33%) and bronchus and lung disease (11%).ConclusionSouth Africa’s NCD incidence is high because of relatively poor behavioural choices, despite plans and policies aimed at changing this. South Africa should increase their efforts to reach NCD goals. If the government is able to reduce harmful behaviour, with respect to a number of the underlying consumption choices, NCD incidence is expected to fall precipitously.

Unveiling the dynamic nexuses between foreign investment, trade openness, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions in South Africa: A vector error correction model approach

Amidst the rising carbon emissions posing significant challenges for the global environment, there exists an inadequate recognition of the profound implications associated with foreign investment, trade openness, and energy consumption in South Africa. This study investigates the dynamic relationship among foreign investment, trade, energy, and the interactive effect of foreign investment and trade openness on environmental pollution in South Africa using time series data from 1990 to 2020. The results from the Johansen cointegration analysis and vector error correction model confirm a sustained long-term relationship among foreign investment, trade, energy, and CO2 emissions. This suggests that any deviations from CO2 emissions equilibrium would gradually self-adjust autonomously. This study reveals the long-run positive effects of trade openness and energy consumption on environmental pollution, while foreign investment exhibits a persistent negative impact on environmental pollution in the long run. Economic growth reduces CO2 emissions, while population growth and inflation are detrimental to the environment in the long run. The interaction between foreign investment and trade reduces environmental pollution in the short and long run. The Granger causality tests show a two-way causal relationship between population growth and CO2 emissions and a one-way causal connection among other variables, enlightening the linkage among these critical factors. The study offers several policy suggestions including environmentally friendly trade practices, investing in energy efficiency and transition, and promoting sustainable foreign investment in South Africa to achieve long-term economic sustainability while curbing environmental impact.

‘Brandsluts’: Instagram influencers and conspicuous consumption in post-apartheid South Africa

ABSTRACT Post-Apartheid South Africa shifted to a culture of consumption, originating with a transition to a neoliberal society [Sana, V. (2022). Bits of bytes and bites of bits: Instagram and the gendered performance of food production in the South African Indian community. Agenda, 36(1), 100–108), alongside access to a globalized world. During apartheid, consumption was strictly regulated, and racialized. This culture of consumption has been prevalent since the mid-1990s. As apartheid regulations lifted, the freedom of movement, choice and the ability to consume unreservedly, opened possibilities previously unimagined for much of the population. Consumption in South Africa is largely characterized by the unique contextual and symbolic processes that inform it. Consumption practices have impacted performances of identity and anxieties of belonging in turn [Sana, V. (2022). Bits of bytes and bites of bits: Instagram and the gendered performance of food production in the South African Indian community. Agenda, 36(1), 100–108]. This paper examines the visual representations of consumption practices on Instagram. Using critical consumption studies, an analysis of various Instagram influencers' consumption uncovers how South Africans affirm their place in the neoliberal global stage through acts of consumption. The article considers the consumption of products as a product itself to be consumed, and how this links to debates around conspicuous consumption in South Africa.

The effect of local climatic conditions on household consumption: a case study of South Africa

The article explores the causal effect of local climate conditions on household consumption in South Africa. The climatic conditions are represented by monthly average temperature and precipitation. The study utilises the nationally representative 2017 National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), wave 5 data and 2017 Climate Research Unit (CRU) climate data. The parsimonious quantile regression shows that climatic conditions (precipitation, temperature, wet days, and cloud cover) impact household per capita consumption. The quadratic quantile regression model analysis shows that household per capita consumption is convex in precipitation. Below the turning point, increased precipitation is associated with decreased household per capita consumption. Above the turning point, increased precipitation is related to increased household per capita consumption. Regions that receive very low precipitation or experience extreme temperatures (very cold or very hot) require tailor-made interventions to alleviate consumption. When we control for household characteristics, the impact of climatic conditions on household per capita consumption is weak. Providing inclusive development policies and programmes can mitigate the impact of climatic conditions on household per capita consumption.

Symmetric Impact of Carbon Emissions on Poverty in South Africa: New Evidence from ARDL Bounds Test

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between poverty and carbon emissions in South Africa covering the period between 1994 and 2020. The study employed the ARDL bounds test to assess the existence of a long run relationship between the variables. The results evidenced existence of a long run relationship between poverty, carbon emissions, economic growth and renewable energy consumption in South Africa. The results are such that carbon emissions have a positive and a significant effect on poverty in the long run. Therefore, with CO2 emissions having a positive influence on poverty, causes more losses in the socioeconomic system and reduces the ability of the population to cope with poverty. Therefore, it is recommended that the government should promote the growth of the South African carbon market, increase enterprise involvement through acceptable price and quota allocation, and work in tandem with other environmental measures to promote sustainable development. This will help alleviate poverty in South Africa.

Socio-economic determinants of alcohol consumption for South Africa

Aims: To examine the socio-economic factors associated with alcohol consumption in South Africa.
 Design: Cross-sectional study exploring the various socio-economic factors associated with alcohol consumption in South Africa.
 Setting: South Africans older than 15 years across the country’s nine provinces.
 Participants: Adult respondents of the drinking status and alcohol intensity questions in Wave 4 of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) (n=28 401).
 Measures: Alcohol, demographic, emotional, health and neighbourhood variables.
 Findings: White and Mixed Heritage (referred to as ‘Coloured’ in South Africa) adults were more likely to consume alcohol, while Indian and White adults were less likely to binge drink relative to African adults. Males with a very good self-perceived health were less likely to binge drink while males who resided in neighbourhoods where frequent alcohol and drug abuse was common, were more likely to binge drink. Females who exercised more than three times a week were also more likely to drink and binge drink. Females with a poor self-perceived health status are less likely to binge drink. Adults who smoked were more likely to drink and binge drink relative to non-smoking adults. Accounting for binge drinkers’ household size, average monthly household spending for binge drinkers was low, suggesting that binge drinkers under-reported household alcohol spending. There was evidence of drinking and binge drinking among pregnant women.
 Conclusions: With respect to binge drinking, race, gender, smoking, neighbourhood, self-perceived health, pregnancy and household alcohol spending warrant further investigation and consideration for possible future alcohol interventions in South Africa.

The development and consumer acceptance of goat meat burger patties and sausages among young adults in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Although goat meat is a nutritious and sustainable Animal Food Source (AFS), it is not commonly preferred as an AFS in sub-Saharan Africa even though goats thrive in the region. To explore the potential of promoting goat meat consumption among young adults in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, an experimental study was conducted involving the development, nutrient analysis and microbial testing of two goat meat products through a series of recipe development trials. This study aimed to use food processing techniques to improve the sensory qualities of goat meat (texture and aroma) in value-added products. Goat meat patties and sausages were developed and evaluated for consumer acceptance using Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) food action rating scale and paired preference testing (n=100). Results from the nutrient analysis showed that both the patty (31.57g/100g) and the sausage (26.88g/100g) were high in protein. The total fat content for each sample was less than 10g per 100g portion.The coliform counts for both samples were very low and well within the acceptable range. The yeast and mould counts were very low, and total bacterial counts were low and within an acceptable range. The CATA test revealed the most frequently selected term used to describe the sensory attributes were ‘smoky’ for aroma (82%, 55%), ‘brownish-grey’ for appearance (68%, 80%), ‘meaty’ for flavour (92%, 86%), and ‘tender’ for texture (59%, 51%) for the goat meat patty and sausage, respectively. Participants showed a more positive attitude towards purchasing and consuming the goat meat patty (96%) than the goat meat sausage (88%). Both products received positive sensory feedback. However, the majority of the participants preferred the goat meat patty (66%) over the sausage (34%). The findings suggest that promoting goat meat consumption in South Africa can be achieved through the introduction of value-added convenience products like the goat meat patties and sausages developed in this study. Key words: Goat meat, goat meat patty, sausages, young adults, consumer acceptance

Optimistic narrative future visions: a communication tool for promoting sustainable (plastic) behavior.

Plastic pollution is a pressing global issue, necessitating a focus on consumer behavior to curb this problem at its source. To effectively promote sustainable practices, communication strategies that employ future visions have gained attention. This study examines the effects of a narrative video intervention depicting an optimistic future vision concerning single-use plastic bag consumption in South Africa, compared to a representation of the prevailing status quo. Using a preregistered within-subject design, we assess the psychological and emotional responses to two scenarios of which one is illustrating adaptive behaviors toward reduced plastic bag usage, and the other showcasing current consumption patterns. Parametric analyses revealed a shift in emotional states, characterized by a greater experience of positive emotions and a reduced experience of negative emotions following the exposure to the optimistic future scenario video, as compared to the status quo video. Moreover, engagement with the optimistic future scenario was associated with higher levels of perceived behavioral control and behavioral intentions. No significant changes were found regarding sense of responsibility. These findings point to the potential of optimistic future visions to influence individuals at psychological and emotional levels. This renders optimistic future vision communication as an effective tool for sustainable behavior change, particularly in relation to the sustainable use of plastic shopping bags.

The Nexus between Foreign Direct Investment and Electricity Consumption in South Africa

The study investigates the nexus between foreign direct investment inflows and electricity consumption in South Africa. The study utilized borrowed time series data sourced from the World Bank and South African Reserve Bank spanning from 1970 to 2020. The study employs a Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) models to investigate the nexus between foreign direct investment inflows and electricity consumption in South Africa. The results of the Johansen cointegration test revealed the presence of cointegration relationships between the variables in the study. The results of the FMOLS and DOLS revealed negative statistically significant and insignificant relationship between electricity consumption and foreign direct investment inflows in South Africa, respectively. Other results revealed that economic growth has a positive statistically significant relationship with foreign direct investment inflows. The Granger causality results revealed unidirectional causality running from economic growth to foreign direct investment inflows. The study recommends that the government and policymakers must revise policies on electricity consumption and economic growth to attract foreign direct investment inflows in South Africa.

Sustainable electricity consumption in South Africa: the impacts of tourism and economic growth.

The current study examines sustainable electricity consumption for economic growth in a small open and tourist economy. The energy-tourism nexus is evaluated for the relationship between sustainable electricity consumption and the international tourist arrival for the South African economy. The present study leverages on annual frequency data for South Africa from 1995 to 2019 for empirical analysis using the ARDL technique. Accordingly, empirical findings indicate a significant direct connection between the sustainable electricity consumption and the international tourism arrival; the study affirms that tourism-induced energy hypothesis is valid in South Africa. However, from a policy standpoint, alternative energy efficiency mechanisms such as renewable energy systems and emancipation of current energy management capabilities are recommended in South Africa. This is necessary for sustainable eco-friendly tourism that engenders clean energy consumption for the study area. More insights into policy caveats are presented in the concluding section.

Testing the effects of banking development, economic growth and foreign direct investment on renewable energy in South Africa

AbstractThe world's climate‐related policies need to be revised to combat environmental issues. Therefore, adopting renewable energy technologies in conjunction with energy efficiency measures are needed to make safe pathways to reduce over 90% of energy related CO2. In this context, this study intends to assess the influence of foreign direct investment (FDI), economic growth, and banking and development on renewable energy consumption in South Africa from 1970 to 2020. The study uses a novel ‘bootstrap Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL)’ testing to empirically analyse the short and long links among the tested variables. The ARDL estimations demonstrate a FDI and economic growth have positive effect on renewable energy consumption. Furthermore, the outcomes reveal that banking sector development affects positively renewable energy use in long run. Therefore, it is suggested that government and playmakers of South Africa must make more efforts to link the economic and baking development with renewable energy by investing capital and funds in renewable energy infrastructure. It will not only boost the economy of the country but also provide an opportunity to clean and green the environment with decreasing rate of greenhouse gases emission like carbon dioxide.

Changing consumer attitudes to make the Corporate Social Responsibility investment in sustainable fish production, a worthwhile investment to corporates

AbstractThe need for environmental protection, especially of depleting natural resources such as fish stocks, remains a global challenge. Global population growth increases food consumption. Some socially responsible corporate entities in the fish sector are producing and selling sustainable fish products, but beyond meeting their altruistic motives, they need consumers to respond favorably to these CSR initiatives to make the investments worthwhile and to encourage more organizations to invest in CSR for sustainable development. This paper reports the findings of research on the factors which influence consumers in the emerging market of South Africa, to respond favorably to sustainable fish product CSR initiatives. A causal research design and quantitative method was employed with a sample of consumers who were part of the South African LinkedIn community and who eat fish, whether concerned or not about sustainability. An online questionnaire was developed using an extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Univariate, regression and mediation analyses were carried out. Attitude towards sustainable fish products was found to be the only significant predictor of intention to purchase sustainable fish but it was also found to mediate the impact of health consciousness and environment concern. This paper thus focuses specifically on the role of attitudes in sustainable fish consumption in South Africa. Recommendations are provided for improving these consumer responses so as to make these CSR investments worthwhile to corporates and thus also positively impact fish sustainability.

Fiscal Policy, Oil Price, Foreign Direct Investment, and Renewable Energy—A Path to Sustainable Development in South Africa

Since South Africa is in pursuit of accomplishing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, it has become pertinent to accelerate the desired energy transition. Against this background, this work aims to evaluate the effects of oil prices, fiscal policy, and foreign direct investment on renewable energy consumption in South Africa from 1979 to 2019. Using the novel Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach, this study finds that economic growth and taxation revenues positively promote renewable energy in South Africa. In contrast, the findings show that an increase in oil prices has a negative impact on renewable energy in both short and long periods. Likewise, the research shows that foreign direct investment was not found to enhance renewable energy. The findings from fully modified-OLS, dynamic ordinary least squares, and canonical cointegrating regression models corroborate the findings of the Autoregressive Distributed Lag method. For the Granger causality inference, the findings demonstrate that there is a one-way causal connection detected from economic growth to the consumption of renewable energy. Based on these outcomes, a policy framework has been offered to help South Africa to attain the sustainable development goals.

Electricity Consumption and Population Growth in South Africa: A Panel Approach

This study investigates the relationship between population growth and electricity consumption in South Africa for the period from 2002 to 2021 collected from StatsSA. The study utilises Seemingly Unrelated Regression model and Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) causality tests to analyse the relationship between the variables. Empirical results revealed that there is a negative statistically significant relationship between population growth and electricity consumption in South Africa. The results further reveal one-way causality running from population growth to electricity consumption. The study recommends that the government and policy makers must implement policies aimed at increasing renewable electricity generation to match the gap between electricity demand and growing population thereby reducing constant loadshedding in South Africa.

Testing the Effect of Oil Prices, Ecological Footprint, Banking Sector Development and Economic Growth on Energy Consumptions: Evidence from Bootstrap ARDL Approach

Energy generation from carbon fuels produces a major portion of the greenhouse gases that envelop the planet and trap the sun’s heat. Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and gas, account for approximately 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and almost 90% of carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, there is an urgent need to finance cleaner, efficient, low-cost, sustainable, and energy-reliable alternative fuels. Therefore, we investigated the effect of oil prices, ecological footprint, banking sector development, and economic growth on energy consumption in South Africa. We employed the newly developed bootstrap autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model to the link between explanatory antecedents and explained facets in the short and long term. The outcome of our study witnessed the positive and significant effect of economic growth and ecological footprint on energy consumption in the short and long run, in the case of South Africa. This suggests that a drastic boost in South African economic growth and environmental quality results in the increased use of energy. However, ARDL outcomes affirm that industrial structure has effects positively and significantly in the short run only. Moreover, oil price shocks have a negative and significant link with energy use in the short and long run, suggesting that in the case of South Africa, increased oil prices reduce the use of energy. Based on the evidence obtained from the results of our study, we proposed several policy suggestions and recommendations to the government authorities, policymakers, environmentalists, and other stakeholders in order to develop an energy strategy in line with sustainable economic growth and the environment.

Addressing plastic bags consumption crises through store monetary and non-monetary interventions in South Africa

This research analyses the impact of retailer interventions focusing on the promotion of reusable bags to reduce plastic bag consumption. For this purpose, retail outlet data for March 2018–February 2020 was used. The retail outlet data was analyzed using a panel fixed effects model to evaluate the impact of three treatments on plastic and reusable bag consumption in South Africa. Findings revealed that Treatments 1 (a monetary intervention based on giving reusable bags away for free), and 2 (a non-monetary intervention framed around a plastic-free July campaign), significantly increased reusable bag uptake and reduced plastic bag consumption, while Treatment 3 (a monetary intervention involving a subsidy on reusable bags) increased reusable and plastic bag sales. The findings contribute to the literature on the effectiveness of non-monetary nudges (T2). The latter is more efficient than the monetary incentives (T1 and T3). The results also agrees with the literature on the ineffectiveness of subsidies (T3) for the purpose of discouraging the consumption of plastic bags. The results confirmed that plastic bag consumption is habitual in South Africa. Based on these findings, policy recommendations were made that public campaigns and other behavioral nudges should be considered more effective in addressing the consumption of plastic bags than subsidies on reusable bags. In addition, because of the revealed low level of reuse of both plastic and reusable bags, the use of reminders to reuse bags should be considered and researched in order to modify consumer behavior in South Africa.

RWD156 Long- and Short-Acting Methylphenidate Consumption in South Africa

RWD156 Long- and Short-Acting Methylphenidate Consumption in South Africa

Perceptions of the sugar-sweetened beverage tax amongst tertiary accounting students in South Africa: a comparative study

An excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to reduce excessive sugar consumption in South Africa came into effect on 1 April 2018. This study aimed to investigate perceptions of a limited sample of South Africans regarding the sugar-sweetened beverages tax based on certain economic factors, and whether participants perceived any likely benefit from the tax. These perceptions were compared with perceptions identified in selected foreign jurisdictions that have levied such a tax. A survey questionnaire was selected as the primary method of data collection. This questionnaire was administered to post-graduate Accounting students, aged twenty-one years and older, studying at three residential universities in South Africa. An extensive analysis of literature available on sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, both locally and internationally, was conducted. The two main constructs (construct 1: perception of the sugar-sweetened beverage tax and the price of sugar-sweetened beverages and construct 2: the social impact of the sugar-sweetened beverage tax) were analyzed using descriptive statistics. This study found that there is a significant association between gender and perception that the sugary beverage levy will be beneficial to health, with female perceptions of the benefit of the sugary beverage levy being greater than that of males. The study found that perception of the sugar-sweetened beverage tax may depend on several factors, closely linked to individual beliefs and cultures, and thus different populations may have different perceptions of the tax. The findings about sugar-sweetened beverage consumption trends across gender, ethnicities and physical activity groups can help guide targeted strategies to reduce consumption.

Forecasting Uncertainty Intervals for Return Period of Extreme Daily Electricity Consumption

The use of extreme value theory (EVT) is usually aimed at quantifying the asymptotic behaviour of extreme quantiles. The generalised Pareto distribution (GPD) with peaks-over-threshold (POT) approach is applied to bootstrap uncertainty intervals for the return periods of extreme daily electricity consumption in South Africa. The leeway of extremes on daily electricity consumption studied here is the impetus behind this study. To examine the effect of a time-based and extreme non-stationary trend in a dataset, a non-stationary GPD is cast-off in computing the shape parameter and, this resulted in the establishment of a type III GPD known as a Weibull class for the South African electricity sector. Results of this study revealed a non-stationary trend with a prediction power of 89.6% for the winter season and 85.65% non-winter season. This means that EVT provides a robust basis for statistical modelling of extreme values. Furthermore, a base for future researchers for conducting studies on emerging markets, more specifically in the South African context has also been contributed.

Mobile phone ownership and welfare: Evidence from South Africa’s household survey

• The impact of mobile phone ownership on consumption in South Africa is investigated, leveraging rich household survey data in a panel format. • Attempts are made to disentangle the two-way relationship between consumption and mobile phone ownership, which is inherently difficult. • Consumption of mobile phone owners tends to be 10–20 percent above that of non-owners and benefits accrue more on those with lower consumption.