This survey makes use of an AI-powered WhatsApp Business chatbot to collect data on policy barriers to investment in South Africa. Your participation may inform evidence-based policymaking and contributes to the responsible dissemination of anonymised or aggregated research findings.

This research study is co-led by Professor Willem Fourie and Dr Gray Manicom and supported by Dr Tinashe Chikunichawa, James Haw and Isabel Ray.

These researchers are from the Policy Innovation Lab in the School of Data Science and Computational Thinking at Stellenbosch University who work in collaboration with the Policy and Research Services Branch of the South African Presidency (PRS) to advance the use of responsible AI for transformative policymaking. You can find out more about their work at https://policyinnovationlab.sun.ac.za/.

Participation is voluntary, and you can reply with ‘STOP’ at any time to stop a conversation and delete it from our database.

A cumbersome policy and regulatory environment has been identified as a stumbling block to economic growth in South Africa. All too often policy is written and implemented without considering the perspective of the end-user. As a business representative, you are ideally positioned to provide feedback on which policy mechanisms hinder investment by your business. This will allow the researchers to achieve actionable insights that could lead to improved policymaking.

The primary aim of this study is to get a granular understanding of the policies and regulations that hinder investment in South Africa and how these policy hindrances are experienced by business owners and representatives. This information is then anonymised and used to enable the formulation of evidence-based policies that can accelerate economic growth and job creation. This could include making deidentified data available to the public. The research furthermore gives expression to the central importance of cross-sectoral collaboration in addressing some of the country’s most pressing challenges.

If you agree to take part in this citizen-generated data initiative, you will be asked to have a conversation with a chatbot and share information about the policy and regulatory hindrances that you experience as a business owner or representative. You will be asked to share information such as the sector in which you operate, the municipality in which you experience the hindrance, the size of your business, the specific policy or regulation that causes the hindrance, the amount of capital that you have not invested due to the hindrance, and whether you are a local or foreign businessperson.

This conversation should take approximately 10 minutes.

All identifiable personal information will be removed from the data.

The information that you share on policy hindrances to investment will be anonymised and suitably deideintified with a view to potentially making it available for public use. It will furthermore be made available to relevant policymakers.

The potential risks involved in participating in this research include that you share sensitive information with us. According to POPIA sensitive information includes things like political or religious views. Note that we do not require you to share any sensitive or personal information with us. If we find sensitive or personal information within the survey responses, we will remove that information. You are not required to answer any question and you can withdraw from the survey at any point. Furthermore, your responses will remain anonymous. Another risk is that completing the survey takes time. This survey is voluntary, and you may exit the survey or skip questions at any time.

The privacy of your data is of utmost importance to us. We therefore use reasonable organisational, technical and physical safeguards to protect your information. No system can guarantee absolute security. If a data breach materially affects your personal information, we will notify you and the relevant oversight authority as required by law and in terms of our obligations under POPIA.

If you have any questions or concerns about this study, please feel free to contact the researchers, James Haw (jameshaw@sun.ac.za), Tinashe Chikunichawa (tchikunichawa@sun.ac.za) and Willem Fourie (willemf@sun.ac.za).

This study has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee: Social, Behavioural and Education Research at Stellenbosch University (Project 34609).

You have the right to decline answering any questions, and you may exit the survey at any time without providing a reason. Participation is entirely voluntary.

POPIA Compliance – Your Rights:

In accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you have the right to:

• Be informed about the collection and use of your personal information.
• Access the personal information you have provided.
• Request corrections to any inaccurate or incomplete information.

The data from your participation may be reviewed by individuals responsible for ensuring ethical research conduct, such as members of the Research Ethics Committee. These individuals are also bound by confidentiality agreements. Your data will not be shared with anyone outside the research team unless you provide explicit permission.

Anonymised or aggregated information arising from this research may be used, shared and published for research dissemination, including in academic journals, reports, conference presentations, policy briefs, the Policy Innovation Lab website and other publicly accessible platforms. No information that identifies, or could reasonably identify, an individual participant will be published.

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints regarding your rights as a research participant, or if you wish to exercise your rights under POPIA, please contact the Research Ethics Committee at applyethics@sun.ac.za; 021 808 9183.

Please carefully read the statements below (or have them read to you) and think about your choice. No matter what you decide, it will not affect whether you can be in the research study.

We may use, share and publish anonymised or aggregated information arising from this research for research dissemination purposes. This may include publication in academic journals, reports, conference presentations, policy briefs, the Policy Innovation Lab website and other publicly accessible platforms. In compliance with POPIA, no information that identifies, or could reasonably identify, an individual participant will be published.

For each statement, please choose YES or NO by CLICKING in the relevant box)

By starting this survey you are confirming that you are:

1. 18 years and above;
2. Have read and understood the above explanation about the study; and
3. You agree to participate.
4. You also understand that your participation in this study is strictly voluntary.

This consent form can be viewed and downloaded here.