Description: The FSB used a multidimensional approach to financial literacy, which centres on four principal domains: namely, day-to-day money management, financial planning, choosing appropriate products, and financial knowledge and understanding. The questionnaire was structured in a way as to capture these domains. Respondents had to complete all questions in all sections.

The data set for dissemination contains 2972 cases and 897 variables. Abstract: SASAS represents a notable tool for monitoring evolving social, economic and political values among South Africans, but it also demonstrates promising utility as an anticipatory, or predictive, mechanism that can inform decision- and policy-making processes.

Due to various requests from government departments and other organisations, the HSRC has made a capacity available for external organisations to participate in the survey by purchasing questions in the survey (the so called client questionnaire). In 2011 the FSB purchased a full module of questions in the SASAS survey, attempting to determine a financial literacy baseline for South Africa.

The SASAS 2011 round was designed to yield a representative sample of 3 500 individuals aged 16 and older in households which are geographically spread across the country's nine provinces. Each SASAS round of interviewing consists of a sample of 500 Population Census enumeration areas (EAs) as primary sampling units, stratified by province, geographical sub-type and majority population group.

Face-to-face interview

National Population: Adults (aged 16 and older). The sampling frame used for the survey is based on the 2001 census and enumerator areas(EAs) were used as the primary sampling unit. Estimates of the population numbers for various categories of the census variables were obtained per EA.

SASAS has been designed to yield a representative sample of 3500 adult South African citizens aged 16 and older (with no upper age limit), in households geographically spread across the country's nine provinces. The sampling frame used for the survey was based on the 2011 census and a set of small area layers (SALs). Estimates of the population numbers for various categories of the census variables were obtained per SAL. In this sampling frame special institutions (such as hospitals, military camps, old age homes, schools and university hostels), recreational areas, industrial areas and vacant SALs were excluded prior to the drawing of the sample.

Small area layers (SALs) were used as primary sampling units and the estimated number of dwelling units (taken as visiting points) in the SALs as secondary sampling units. In the first sampling stage the primary sampling units (SALs) were drawn with probability proportional to size, using the estimated number of dwelling units in an SAL as measure of size. The dwelling units as secondary sampling units were defined as "separate (non-vacant) residential stands, addresses, structures, flats, homesteads, etc." In the second sampling stage a predetermined number of individual dwelling units (or visiting points) were drawn with equal probability in each of the drawn dwelling units. Finally, in the third sampling stage a person was drawn with equal probability from all 16 year and older persons in the drawn dwelling units.

Three explicit stratification variables were used, namely province, geographic type and majority population group. As stated earlier, within each stratum, the allocated number of primary sampling units (which could differ between different strata) was drawn using proportional to size probability sampling with the estimated number of dwelling units in the primary sampling units as measure of size. In each of these drawn primary sampling units, seven dwelling units were drawn. This resulted in a sample of 3500 individuals.

A list of the 500 drawn SALs were given to geographic information specialists (GIS) and maps were then created for each of the 500 areas, indicating certain navigational beacons such as schools, roads churches etc.

Selection of individuals: For each of the SASAS samples interviewers visited each visiting point drawn in the SALs (PSU) and listed all eligible persons for inclusion in the sample, that is all persons currently aged 16 years or older and resident at the selected visiting point. The interviewer then selected one respondent using a random selection procedure based on a Kish grid.