The 2014-2019 period saw households from the LSMse 6 and 7 become more reliant on grants and remittances as their main sources of income. Households in the highest LSMs rely largely on income through salaries, business profits and pensions, and the latter two have become more prominent in the past five years. More than 25% of households at LSM 5 and lower rely on grants as their main source of income. Remittances also play an important role for households in the lower LSMs (approximately 15% of these households’ main source of income), particularly in more recent years.
Figure 9: Households' main income source by LSM group Source: SAARF
5.6 Nutrition and hunger Hunger is a sign of insufficient income to sustain good nutritional levels. It is closely linked to income, wealth and living standards. However, we treat it separately here, given its importance as an indicator of insufficient means to sustain a basic human need. In the latest General Household Survey (2019), 11% of all South African households reported at least one person going hungry in the past 12 months. 6% of households reported sometimes going hungry, while 2% said they often go hungry. These percentages are much higher for Black South African households, where 12% of households reported at least one person going hungry in the past twelve months, compared to less than 1% of White South African households. Hunger levels in South African households were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures, which prevented many households from obtaining an income and ultimately, necessary levels of nutrition.14
e
The SAARF (South African Audience Research Foundation) LSM (Living Standards Measure) divides the population into 10 LSM groups, with 10 being the highest and 1 the lowest.
17
TRENDS IN MULTIDIMENSIONAL INEQUALITY AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE IN SOUTH AFRICA DURING 27 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY
