#ROOTS2019 mapping the more economically active South Africa

Set in motion with in-field interviews in March 2018, South Africa’s largest quantitative community survey #ROOTS2019 is ready to be launched in June across South Africa. The all new ROOTS 2019 will unveil new and insightful stories coming out of local geographic areas.

“The ROOTS survey has been conducted every three years since 2001 and a large portion of the question set has remained the same, with necessary additions to remain relevant,” says Debbie McIntyre, Marketing and Research Director at SPARK Media. “This year, the survey boasts some different areas and communities, and more insights that ever before”.

A partnership with Ads24 means the inclusion of 16 new areas to gain insights from. This enables the building bricks of the survey to be a total of 112 surveyed areas.

ROOTS’ quantitative research explores shopping behaviours and decisions, and can be used to create an in-depth analysis on areas where the economically active population lives. Want to know how many homes are owned or rented in your suburb? Overall, 37% of homes are owned and bond-free. Most bond-free homes can be found in Umzinto (64%), as well as Sedibeng and George (58%). 24% of homes are rented, with the highest percentage found in Burgersfort, Berea (Durban) and Kensington (Johannesburg).

36% of households have dogs, however only 5% of pet owners have pet insurance even though 57% took their pet to the vet in the past year.

The research methodology model provides a national snapshot that is designed to enable detailed analysis and decision making at a local level. 77% of Randburg residents purchase take-aways at least once a month. Seapoint has the highest percentage of people that travel (41%). Social media usage ranks highest in Bellville.

“Every local area is different in terms of structure and shopping behaviours, and the data continuously proves this, showing us changes and new trends”, says Debbie. “Shoppers are not willing to travel too far to buy food and groceries; 61% of consumers will only travel a maximum of 15 minutes to shop.”

“The best read and used papers across the ROOTS sample areas are still, by far, local papers, with 65% of shoppers having read them. The gap has widened significantly in this category, with only 17% of shoppers having read weekly or weekend newspapers”, Debbie adds.

“For these and other exceptional insights about people and their preferences, we encourage the industry to join us at the launch of ROOTS 2019,” concludes Debbie. “The countdown is on. We can’t wait!”

ROOTS launches in Durban on the 4^th of June, Johannesburg on the 6^th of June and Cape Town on the 11^th of June. For more information or to book your seat, visit www.sparkmedia.co.za/about-roots/ or contact info@sparkmedia.co.za

For more on SPARK Media, visit their website and follow them on social media @sparkmediasa.