Five years of disruption have left South Africans seeking greater control over their lives.
As the pandemic, rising costs, rapid technological change, and geopolitical instability have made everyday life less predictable, people are focusing on what they can control — their work, health, finances, and immediate decisions. They rely less on the word of distant institutions and more on what they can examine themselves, comparing products, researching symptoms, and using AI to evaluate their options before they engage with a banker, doctor, employer, or advisor.
The South African edition of Oliver Wyman Forum’s 300,000 Voices study, part of a five-year global research effort spanning 20 countries and nearly 300,000 responses, reveals a South African population that has adapted faster than the institutions serving it. The findings reveal how that gap is widening across finance, health, work, technology, consumer behavior, and leadership — and what it means for the organizations trying to keep up.
Technology and AI have changed the way South Africans make decisions
AI is taking on a bigger role in how South Africans manage money, with two-thirds of respondents across all generations now using it for everyday banking. Roughly two-thirds of Generation Z and millennials are also turning to AI for financial planning advice, compared with 48% of Generation X. For investing, the percentages using AI are 62%, 56%, and 39%, respectively.
Rather than rejecting financial advisors altogether, South Africans today are booking those meetings better informed and with stronger preconceived views than previously. This shift is driving competition among financial institutions and raising expectations of service. Today's banks must be visible, credible, and offer clarity of information to consumers who have likely already examined their options using digital tools.
The same pattern is evident in healthcare. Preventive health behavior is already well-established across the generations, with 74% of South Africans visiting doctors regularly to manage their health, 76% exercising, 65% using digital health management tools, and 32% getting therapy.
Technology is becoming part of that preventive mindset, with 71% of Gen Z using digital well-being tools versus 52% of Gen X. Across the generational divide, nearly 70% of South Africans use AI for health-related questions in one way or another, with 43% turning to technology for help with urgent healthcare needs.
For many, AI has become the first step in understanding symptoms and deciding what to do next. Providers are increasingly seeing patients who arrive having already arrived at a potential diagnosis based on symptoms and treatment options.
Brand loyalty is earned in South Africa, not bought
South African consumers present a mixed picture of brand loyalty. Over the past five years, 35% say they have become more loyal to providers of their favored goods and services, 31% say they have become less loyal, and 34% say their loyalty has stayed about the same. At the same time, six in 10 say they are likely to try new brands, even when they already have established favorites. More than half (57%) say they would switch after a single poor experience.
Brand familiarity alone is no longer enough to retain customers, and the effectiveness of advertising is shifting as consumers pay closer attention to how companies use their information. Seventy-seven percent of South Africans surveyed say they prefer brands that allow them a degree of autonomy over their data. People remain open to tailored experiences, but they want transparency around how those experiences are created and ownership of the data behind them.
Against this backdrop, AI has become another tool for evaluating purchases, complementing rather than replacing traditional sources of information. Sixty-seven percent of South Africans have used AI to find new products versus the 62% global average, but online sources, including review aggregators and search engines, remain the dominant discovery channel. Social media plays a growing role among younger cohorts, while older respondents continue to value recommendations from family and friends.
Why work satisfaction is about more than pay in South Africa
Three-quarters of South Africans say they are satisfied with their jobs, yet our research also reveals limits to employees' sense of connection to their organizations. Only 43% understand their company's vision and goals, and just 23% say their input on important topics is valued.
Pay remains the leading source of dissatisfaction, but it is no longer the only reason people seek a new role. A lack of personal fulfillment has risen from sixth place in 2023 to become the second-most-common career complaint, while lack of respect and recognition has climbed from seventh to third.
One of the report's more striking findings is that recognition and feeling valued now rank ahead of flexibility and location when respondents are asked what matters most at work. Learning opportunities, purpose, and work-life balance all matter more to today’s South African employees than where their work is done.
How leaders and employees perceive AI progress differently
AI adoption continues to accelerate, with daily workplace use increasing from 22% in 2023 to 26% in 2025. Sixty-three percent of employees believe that shift has improved their productivity, and 60% say it has improved their work-life balance.
Yet despite those gains, many employees doubt their organizations are prepared for the changes ahead. Sixty-one percent fear AI could replace more than half of their company’s jobs, yet only 44% believe their organization is ready to adopt AI at scale. Interestingly, faith in employer preparedness also varies substantially based on levels of seniority. In 2025, 33% of executives said their company had articulated a clear AI vision and kept employees informed on progress — yet just 10% of non-managerial staff felt the same.
This isn’t the only area in which our research highlights a pronounced gap between executives and non-managers in South Africa. While 70% of executives believe their organization's leaders display emotional intelligence, just 37% of non-managers agree. Similarly, 66% of executives believe senior leaders understand the challenges facing junior employees, versus 35% of non-managers.
South Africa’s workforce also judges its leaders by what they do with their authority, not simply on what they say. They expect their concerns to be addressed and value leaders who explain decisions clearly and apply standards fairly. Strong communication, objective decision-making, ethical conduct, emotional intelligence, crisis management, and adaptability emerge as the leadership qualities they value most.
South Africans outpace institutions on AI adoption and expect them to catch up
South Africans have spent the last few years building AI into how they manage their money, how they think about their health, and how they work — and in many cases, they have done so faster than the organizations employing them. Now, increasingly, people are judging the institutions around them, including brands, employers, and government leaders, on whether they are willing to match this progress.
Organizations that consistently deliver on their promises, invest in their workforce, and integrate AI into operating models rather than communications strategies are likely to be better positioned for the next decade and valued by South Africans. The advantage will be a byproduct of combining technology adoption with execution, reliability, and trust effectively.
For South African institutions, the challenge is to move at the same brisk pace as the people.
