{
  "id": 17012542,
  "title": "Food, fuel and electricity costs push South Africans into survival mode, survey finds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/food-fuel-and-electricity-costs-push-south-africans-into-survival",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-29T05:04:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/business/personal-finance/food-fuel-electricity-costs-push-south-africans-survival-mode-survey/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "South Africans are experiencing financial strain as food, fuel, and electricity costs continue to rise, pushing them into survival mode, according to a new consumer survey. Conducted by OneDayOnly, the survey of 2,410 online shoppers revealed that 88% are saving more, while 80% wait for sales and promotions before making purchases. Food prices emerged as the biggest source of financial pressure, followed by fuel and electricity costs, with nearly half of respondents stating they are financially worse off than a year ago. The survey also found that consumers are becoming increasingly disciplined with their spending, abandoning impulse purchases and waiting for sales, and 60% are willing to use AI-powered shopping assistants to compare prices and identify genuine bargains.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Take-home pay rises but South Africans are still losing spending power",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/take-home-pay-rises-but-south-africans-are-still-losing-spending-power",
        "published": "2026-10-28T09:54:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}