IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

Report-03-10-01 - Subjective Poverty in South Africa: Findings of the Living Conditions Survey

Subjective Poverty in South Africa is a report based on the results of the Living Conditions Survey (LCS) conducted between September 2008 and August 2009. The main aim of this survey is to provide data that will contribute to better understanding poverty in South Africa and to provide data for monitoring levels of poverty over time. Measurement of poverty levels, like the measurement of any other phenomenon such as unemployment, fertility or mortality requires a standard definition to be applied over time to properly determine trends. A debate on the definition of poverty in South Africa has been a continuous one in which several approaches have emerged. Two of the main concepts at the core of the definition of poverty are objective and subjective poverty. Subjective poverty, the subject of this report, is an individual`s assessment of his or her own welfare, utility or happiness. It challenges the mainstream view that poverty is an objective, money-metric and uniformly applic

Poverty and Inequality

Published: Every 5 years

Report