Half of young Indian-South Africans thinking of emigrating: Survey

JOHANNESBURG: Almost half of South Africa's young Indian-origin people are thinking of emigrating, according to a survey conducted by a consumer insights company here.

While only 22 per cent of young South African black respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 would prefer to live somewhere else, 40 per cent of Indians and whites would choose a country other than South Africa to live in for the rest of their lives, the survey conducted by Pondering Panda said.

But while most of the respondents from the other groups would prefer to become citizens of the US, UK and Australia, in that order, Indian-South Africans preferred other countries to these major Western countries, without being specific.

"This survey shows that there is a marked difference between the racial groups in terms of the potential for emigration. Young white and Indian-South Africans are the most likely to live somewhere else, with 2 out of 5 expressing a preference for living in another country," Butch Rice, market analyst for Pondering Panda, said.

"This also shows that there is a massive potential for a brain drain in the future. Government should be paying more attention to the opinions of the youth, as they are the leaders of tomorrow," Rice added .

The survey appears to be consistent with earlier surveys about the attitudes of the South African Indian community in general, who usually cite great dissatisfaction with ANC government policies on affirmative action as excluding Indians despite them also being defined by government as members of previously disadvantaged communities under apartheid.