Gauging the sentiment of SA’s black middle class

With more than 3-million black middle-class people in South Africa, understanding the nuances that drive these consumers and the decisions they make has become increasingly important. Recent research by the UCT Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing reveals how resilient this market is, with a spending power of R400bn per year.

Drilling down and probing into the mindset and sentiment of this group of consumers provides the industry with a qualitative view of them that extends beyond the numbers.

Some regional commercial radio stations, specifically East Coast Radio, Jacaranda FM and Kaya 959, have identified this gap in radio research and have over recent years followed a strategy to invest in first-party data. This research allows us to take marketers beyond the numbers and reveal the real listener and consumer.

It was this research that caused Kaya 959 to coin the term Code Switchers for their listeners. A station-specific term, it refers to someone who can seamlessly switch from one language to another or effortlessly move from one location to another. For Kaya 959, this definition is taken further to describe the individual’s mentality. Kaya 959 Code Switchers possess a unique ability to shift from one culture, one lifestyle or one mindset to another, while skilfully managing the tensions created by this dichotomy.

This year’s Kaya 959 Radio Check Survey provided key insights into the black middle class. With Covid having threatened job security, side hustles have become vital to the Code Switcher’s way of life. Even though the radio station’s listeners are employed, they have an increased desire to supplement their income. The research showed that 29% of Kaya 959’s audience have side hustles, and 65% of them have had these side hustles for two years and less.

The research also provides insights into the Code Switcher’s desire for financial security and for leaving a legacy to their families. It highlights their hardworking and entrepreneurial spirit. This is a ground-breaking change in this audience’s makeup, with ramifications for employers, who will have to be more flexible in allowing the evolving middle class the freedom to have more than one source of income.

Code Switchers want to advance in their careers, and they want education; 18% of those surveyed changed jobs in the past 12 months and 17% enrolled at or returned to university. The third-biggest trend over the past 12-month period was that 15 % have undertaken major home improvements.

The 2022 Radio Check Survey also affirmed the importance of radio among Code Switchers. For Kaya 959 listeners radio remains their number one trusted media source, despite other media being at their disposal. They consume radio content more than any other media.

Gauging sentiment at a granular level informs the type of content listeners want to hear more of and the kind of advertising that might be the best fit. It is exhaustive research like this that has enabled regional commercial stations to continue to service their listeners so successfully.

Nozipho Hoohlo is an analytics and insights strategist at Mediamark. 

The big take-out: Side hustles have become vital to the way of life for many members of the black middle class.