As Valentine’s Day approaches, a new Ipsos Love Life Satisfaction study reveals that South Africans continue to thrive in matters of the heart, with feeling loved and appreciated ranking as the nation’s number one source of happiness – even as financial stress weighs heavily on the Rainbow Nation.
The survey, which covered 29 countries, shows that more than eight in 10 online South Africans (81%) report feeling satisfied with the love in their lives, outperforming the global country average of 77%. This places South Africa among the top 10 countries globally for feeling loved.
Key findings include:
- South Africans are happier than last year: Despite the many challenges the country faces, three quarters (75%) of South Africans report being happy, up from just 66% last year. Happiness is highest among those aged 35 to 49 at 81%.
- Love as the ultimate happiness driver: More than half of South Africans (51%) say feeling appreciated and loved is a top contributor to their happiness – significantly higher than the global country average of 37%. Only Indonesia ranks higher (60%) on feeling loved as a source of joy.
- Feeling loved: 81% of South Africans are satisfied with feeling loved, above the global country average of 77%.
- Romantic and sexual satisfaction: 63% of South Africans are satisfied with their romantic/sex lives, higher than the global country average of 60%, and outperforming countries like the United States (57%), Great Britain (54%), Italy (55%) and France (58%).
- Partner relationships remain strong: Among partnered South Africans, 83% report satisfaction with their relationship, in line with the global country average of 82%.
- Financial stress looms large: Despite the positive love findings, 75% of unhappy South Africans cite their financial situation as a key contributor – significantly higher than the global country average of 57%.
“This Valentine’s Day, South Africa presents a compelling picture of resilience,” says Natalie Otte, country manager of Ipsos in South Africa. “While our economic challenges are undeniable, we remain a happy nation driven by love and relationships.
“Despite financial pressures, South Africans are finding solace and joy in their relationships. Love, it seems, truly does conquer all in South Africa.”
South Africa outshines developed nations
South Africa’s satisfaction with feeling loved (81%) places it ahead of many developed economies. The country also outperforms on romantic and sexual satisfaction, with 63% reporting contentment compared to France (58%), Germany (55%), and Sweden (45%).
“These findings challenge assumptions about where romantic contentment flourishes,” Otte notes. “Despite facing greater economic headwinds than many developed nations, South Africans report stronger satisfaction in their love lives. It suggests that relationship quality isn’t solely determined by economic prosperity.”
Gen Z struggles to find happiness
A troubling trend that emerged from the poll is that Generation Z is the unhappiest generation in the country – with young women bearing the heaviest burden:
- Gen Z happiness gap: Only 71% of Gen Z South Africans are happy, compared to 78% of older generations and 73% of Gen Z globally.
- Young women in crisis: Just 66% of Gen Z women report being happy – a stark 12 percentage point gap compared to Gen Z men (78%).
- Financial stress hits hardest: 67% of unhappy Gen Z South Africans cite their financial situation as a primary cause – higher than the global Gen Z average of 53%.
- Search for meaning: 23% of Gen Z say their life lacking meaning contributes to unhappiness, compared to just 8% of Baby Boomers, 5% of Gen X and 7% of Millennials.
- Feeling out of control: 24% of Gen Z feel a lack of control over their lives drives their unhappiness, versus 8% of Boomers.