The ability to make visitor feel welcome is an important factor in being able to enjoy a new country.
Taking this into account, a UK-based relocation website, Remitly, asked people from around the world on the ‘agreeableness’ trait of the Big 5 Personality Test, a globally recognised and standardised personality test.
South Africa topped the list of the friendliest nations, scoring an impressive 34.63 out of 40 on the ‘agreeableness’ trait of the Big 5 Personality Test.
The Big 5 personality test is based on the scientific ‘Big Five’ model of the five key personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion, and neuroticism.
The questions in the study are based purely on the ‘agreeableness’ aspect of the test, as it’s deemed the most effective way to gauge social harmony.
Respondents were asked questions to ascertain how much concern their hosts feel for others, whether they take the time out for other people and whether they like to make people feel at ease.
Each question was presented as a statement with respondents asked to say whether they disagree, slightly disagree, were neutral, slightly agree or agree with the statement in question.
The higher their scores, the more they are deemed to be friendly, generous, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others.
People who score highly in this section of the test value getting along with others and have an optimistic view of human nature, meaning they’re likely to be warm and friendly to those they meet.
According to the survey, South African residents are known for being warm and welcoming, making it easy for travellers and visitors alike to feel at ease around them. It’s not uncommon to be greeted by polite strangers while walking down the street, and South Africans are generally happy to socialise, by engaging in conversations and showing off their good humour, making plenty of jokes.
An added plus point is that there are eleven official languages spoken in South Africa (English, Afrikaans and nine ethnic languages), meaning that there are plentiful ways to communicate with the locals and make new friends.
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