New study examines the key influences on Africa’s young people

According to the research team, the main influences on respondents were pop culture (57%), social media (27%), family and friends (44%), religion (74%) and their communities’ cultural practices (54%). 

While 45% of respondents believed that other African youth were strongly influenced by the United States and Europe, they stated that, for them, family and friends had the biggest influence. However, most Kenyan and South African respondents indicated that social media had more influence (39% each) than family and friends. 

And across the board, respondents’ religions played a large role in their decision-making.

Although more than half of interviewees (58%) said that politicians were the most influential people in their country, only 11% of these young people admitted that they, personally, were influenced by politicians. The only time respondents said they were influenced by politicians was when making voting decisions (51%). 

“However, even in this instance, a worrying 24% said they were not influenced by anyone when they made voting decisions, which might indicate a disinterest in election politics,” the research team observed.

Other key findings to emerge from the report include:

The power of social media
A total of 71% of respondents believed they could challenge negative stereotypes about the continent on social media. While the report does not dig into the origins of this belief, previous research has turned up several examples of how young Africans have – and continue to – shift negative stereotypes at a global level, especially in sharing and using humour to get a message across.

Love for country and continent
Even though 45% of respondents believed their perceptions had been shaped by negative narratives about the continent, 60% still loved their country and the African continent: Only 18% of respondents indicated that they would rather live in the United States or Europe, only 20% believed that there are fewer opportunities on the African continent than elsewhere, and only 17% believed that they experienced a lower quality of life on the continent than they would elsewhere.

Movies drive stereotypes about Africa

For 54% of respondents, the most common narratives about Africa in movies were about crime and corruption, and 41% said they were stories about underdeveloped cities. Seventy-five percent of respondents believed these stories created a negative perception about the continent, with Kenyans (83%), Ghanaians and Zimbabweans (82% each) most convinced of the negative impact.

Moky Makura, Executive Director at Africa No Filter, comments: “This is a must-read for any organisation working with, and in, Africa because it unpacks what influences the largest demographic in the continent. Sadly, African youth haven’t escaped the impact of negative stereotypes, but the good news is that it hasn’t defined their perceptions – and that has a lot to do with social media, and the agency it gives them.”