The Decent Standard of Living (DSL) project is the first attempt in South Africa to quantify what amount of monthly income is required for people to achieve a socially-determined acceptable standard of living and participate fully in society.
While other poverty indicators exist, such as the upper and lower bound poverty line, in addition to the food poverty line, the DSL is an attempt to go beyond that, using social consensus to measure what is required to not just merely survive, but to live a life without struggle.
Indeed, despite a long running debate on poverty and inequality in South Africa, we have not had a robust measure of what it is to live decently. Simply put, we do not know what a decent life looks like – nor what the associated income level would be.
The DSL measure, however, should be regarded as complementary to the existing poverty line measures. It builds on several earlier studies involving quantitative research, including:
– 48 focus groups that took place across the country about what comprises an acceptable standard of living
– A module in 2006 South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) to determine which of the 50 items are socially perceived necessities (piloted in 2005)
– Modules in 2008/09 and 2014/15 Living Conditions Surveys (LCS) to measure possession and lack of the SPNs
When the project was launched in 2014, the first step was to devise a set of indicators that would measure a decent standard of living. This was done in consultation with groups across several sections of society, including population group, gender, area type and income status.
Out of a list of 50 possible items or conditions, a set of 27 ‘socially perceived necessities’ (SPNs) were defined as essential to a decent life by a two thirds majority of South Africans surveyed. The SPNs include material possessions, social networks and features of the local neighbourhood.
As this list is a set of indicators, rather than an exhaustive list of necessities, it allows us to sidestep the immense difficulty of determining the quantity and quantity of an essential basket of goods that is both representative of the population and also finite.
In 2021, we decided it was time to refresh the survey in order to get an updated indication of whether these indicators are still relevant to a decent life today, and the associated monetary amount required. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the survey was conducted telephonically instead of via panel interviews.
The 2021 DSL refresh survey revealed an updated 27 number of SPNs as defined by a two thirds majority. While this is the same number of SPNs recorded in 2006, the list of SPNs is not quite the same: cell phone, burglar bars and bath or shower in the house joined the list of SPNs in 2021, while a neighbourhood without smoke or smog, television and radio dropped out. Link to full website article/page on the 2021 survey results.
Line here about how the associated monthly income is calculated from the list of SPNs. We constructed a Decent Standard of Living Index (DSLI) so that the income level associated with a decent standard of living (DSL) can be continually adjusted to keep it up to date in current prices.
It is important to note that the monetary figure derived from the SPNs is not the amount required for a decent standard of living, it is the amount associated with it. However, it can be used as a guide when reflecting on national minimum wage discussions, as well as social grants and monthly incomes.
The combination of SPNs deemed as essential for a decent life are not only tangible items, but also reflect assets that can be derived from one’s social networks – for example, someone to look after you if you are ill. Social capital is not necessarily correlated with financial capital, and the list of SPNs shows us that not all aspects of a decent life need to be commodified.
The DSL offers more than a series of thresholds around which we can measure how many are below and how many are above. The DSL offers us ideas about how to move households towards a socially-derived vision of a decent standard of living. This decent standard of living measure provides a framework and rich source of data for future analysis and for informing policies regarding both public and private provision and acquisition of necessities in order to guide and facilitate the realisation of a democratically derived decent standard of living for all in South Africa.
2014/2015:
The DSL project was supported by the Wits School of Governance at the University of the Witwatersrand, Department of Social Development and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
2021:
The DSL project was supported by UNICEF.
This website has a rich repository of reports, publications and other media items that can be explored further. Feel free to browse, engage with the material and contact us if you have any questions.
