Households still negatively impacted by Covid-19 albeit less so than 2020

South African households are still feeling the burden of the Covid-19 pandemic albeit less so than in 2020. This is according to the latest Consumer Pulse Survey by consumer credit reporting agency, Transunion. Vice-President and head of TransUnion Auto & Consumer Africa in Africa, Kriben Reddy, tells the OFM Business Hour that the survey has been running on a month-to-month basis since the introduction of lockdowns globally in 2020 and is meant to gauge consumer sentiment during these turbulent times. Reddy says over 61% of households are feeling the burden of the pandemic on their pockets in 2021 as compared to over 80% in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. This means that more indebted South Africans are relying on credit just to get by.