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In environment-nature discourse, determinants of environmental perceptions and attitudes vary significantly making it difficult to draw generalisations on their significance for particular locales. In this paper, we explore the key socio-demographic factors affecting environmental perceptions and attitudes for a socio-economically diverse area of Gauteng province, South Africa, using a generalised ordered logit model (gologit) approach. Personal level variables like gender, education level, employment status, age, population group, migration status and external variables such as dwelling type and electricity availability, obtained through a questionnaire, were assessed as determinants of environmental perceptions and attitudes. Statistical results indicated that dwelling type, gender, education level, place of birth and employment status were strong determinants of environmental attitudes. Population group (Coloured and White), dwelling type, electricity availability, employment status and education level (from primary only up to matric) were found to be significant predictors of environmental perceptions. Education level, dwelling type and employment status were therefore the common explanatory variables from the analysis, giving prominence to material values that people attach to environmental attitudes and perceptions. Age had no influence on both environmental perceptions and attitudes. The results from this article can provide a foundation for segmentation of anthropocentric factors for environmental planning and strategy formulation within the province.

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Introduction: People’s confidence in the health system's capability in managing the COVID-19 pandemic can determine public support, risk perceptions, and compliance to the required behaviors during the pandemic. Therefore, this paper investigated people’s perception of health system capability to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in different spatial areas across the country using data from an online survey. Methods: Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine factors associated with people’s perception of the health system capability to manage the COVID-19 pandemic at the national and provincial levels. Spatial comparative analysis was conducted to contrast spatial density indicators of the number of hospitals, hospital beds, and ICU beds per given population across various provinces. Results: Findings showed that South Africans had low confidence in the health system capability, with only two in five (40.7%) reporting that they thought that the country’s health system was able to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Sex and knowledge on COVID-19 were significantly associated with the people’s perception of the health system capability to manage the pandemic at the national level and in four of the nine provinces. Conclusion: Overall, the findings of this study clearly highlight challenges facing the country’s health system, both perceived or real, that needed to be addressed as part of the preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic. Timeous implementation of a countrywide National Health Insurance (NHI) system is now more critical than ever in improving healthcare outcomes of the South African population beyond the existence of the COVID-19 epidemic.

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In this study, we employed a number of geospatial techniques to examine the spatiotemporal patterns and changes of environmental attitudes and place attachment values in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The data were obtained from the Gauteng City Region Observatory's Quality of Life Survey collected at three separate points in time, namely 2013, 2015, and 2017. Results indicated that wards (smallest administrative and analysis units) located on the urban periphery of Gauteng, which are generally less affluent, largely held more negative environmental attitudes and place attachment values during the three time periods. In contrast, centrally located wards, which are generally more affluent, expressed more positive environmental attitudes but less place attachment values, especially in 2017. The findings of this research not only highlight the complex spatio-temporal distribution of environmental attitudes and place attachment values throughout Gauteng but also emphasize the need for spatially targeted state interventions for future environmental planning within the province.

People’s confidence on the health system capability in managing COVID-19 outbreak can determine public support, risk perceptions and compliance behaviours during the pandemic. Therefore, this paper investigated people’s perception on health system capability using online survey data and current state of health system capacity to deal with COVID-19 pandemic at different spatial areas across the country. Simple and multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the factors associated with perception of the health system’s capability to manage the COVID-19 pandemic at a national level and within each province. Spatial comparative analysis was conducted on perception of health system capability and density indicators of health system capacity. Findings showed South Africans had low confidence on health system capability with only two in five (40.7%) reporting that they thought that the country’s health system was able to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Sex and knowledge on COVID-19 were significantly associated with the perception of the health system’s capability to manage the pandemic at the national level and in four of the nine provinces. Overall, the findings of this study clearly highlights the challenges on the country’s health system both perceived or real that needed to be addressed as part of the preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic. Timeous implementation of a countrywide National Health Insurance (NHI) system is now more critical than ever in improving health care outcomes of the South African population even beyond the existence of the COVID-19 epidemic.