The National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) is a face-to-face longitudinal survey of individuals living in South Africa as well as their households. The survey was designed to give effect to the dimensions of the well-being of South Africans, to be tracked over time. At the broadest level, these were:
Wealth creation in terms of income and expenditure dynamics and asset endowments;
Demographic dynamics as these relate to household composition and migration;
Social heritage, including education and employment dynamics, the impact of life events (including positive and negative shocks), social capital and intergenerational developments;
Access to cash transfers and social services
Wave 1 of the survey, conducted in 2008, collected the detailed information for the national sample. In 2010/2011 Wave 2 of NIDS re-interviewed these people, gathering information on developments in their lives since they were interviewed first in 2008. As such, the comparison of Wave 1 and Wave 2 information provides a detailed picture of how South Africans have fared over two years of very difficult socio-economic circumstances.