The much-anticipated announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa of the new GNU Cabinet on 30 June 2024 is experienced positively by the South African people, as shown by the near real-time Happiness Index of the GNH.today project. The happiness levels in South Africa have been trending upward since the election results were announced in June 2024, from 5.36 to 5.42[1] (see figure 1). The index is measured on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being very unhappy, 5 being neutral, and 10 being very happy.
In the May 2024 elections, the ruling party, the ANC, lost their outright majority, which they have held since the first democratic elections in 1994. This led to the establishment of a coalition government, the Government of National Unity (GNU), among eleven political parties, representing almost 80 per cent of the votes in the elections. The GNU ensures a broad representation and a solid mandate to govern the country, contributing to higher levels of transparency, accountability, and trust in the government. It also explains the higher happiness levels, reflecting hope for a better future.
Analysing the positive trend in the happiness index, the team found that positive emotion words used in South Africa increased, such as “hope”, “happiness”, and “joy”. However, they also see an increase in negative emotion words such as “bad” and “afraid”, but with a positive net effect. The increase in both positive and negative words is expected as it indicates the debate around the newly appointed cabinet. Different parties criticise the portfolio allocations and the ministers appointed. The increased size of the government is also critiqued. On the other hand, there is relief that the cabinet was announced after almost a month of negotiations. This announcement implies an agreement about power-sharing.
The upward trend in the happiness of South Africa is also reflected in a stronger Rand, showing increased international trust in the future of South Africa.
These are the findings of the GNH.today project, which measures happiness in near real-time based on specific emotion words used in Google searches. The project was initially launched in April 2019 by Prof Talita Greyling (University of Johannesburg), Dr Stephanie Rossouw (Auckland University of Technology), and Afstereo, with an index based on X (former Twitter) data. However, this groundbreaking project ended abruptly as Elon Musk pulled the plug on all academic projects in May 2023.
Since then, the GNH.today team, also joined by Prof Frederic Boy from Swansea University, has been developing an index exploring alternative big data sources. They found Google search data to be the most efficient predictor of happiness. They have now presented the newly created index at different global forums in Luxembourg, Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia), and France. The new index has been well received as a robust measure of happiness.
Furthermore, Prof Talita Greyling and Stephanie Rossouw, on Friday, 28 June 2024, received a much sought-after International Award at the International Conference for Quality-of-Life Studies in Malaysia for their innovative contribution to well-being and quality of life research.
