Do you suffer from headaches like 38% of us do, or do you prefer to treat your ailments with homoeopathic remedies like 13% of your neighbours do?

Middelburg’s vices have been laid bare by the release of the Roots landscape survey last week.

Spanning 110 metropolitan communities including Middelburg, the results for Middelburg proves that the Middelburg Observer is still the community’s number one source for trustworthy news and information.

A staggering 77% of respondents prefer the Middelburg Observer to any other paper, including the national dailies.

According to the survey, 70% of readers access information from their smartphones, with 88% of residents in possession of a smartphone, and only 9% of residents having uncapped internet access at home. The favourite network is Vodacom at 57% and 76% of cellphone owners are dependent on prepaid phone cards.

The survey highlighted several trends, with 49% of Middelburg households with children, and 63% married.

In Middelburg people between the ages of 35 and 49 make up the largest part of our local society (36%), with 24% between the ages of 25 and 34 and 21% of residents between the ages of 50 and 64.
Altogether 60% of Middelburg residents have matric, with only about one third (21%) obtaining post-matric qualifications.

According to the survey, Middelburg’s first language is still Afrikaans (46%) followed by Zulu (17%) and English at (17%).

The majority of households fall within the monthly household income bracket of R26 500 with around 55% with medical aid and 38% with car insurance, while 93% own cars.

Of the 93%, only 42% serviced their vehicles within twelve months, signalling a worrying trend under motorists with almost two thirds not having insurance and more than half not maintaining their vehicles properly.

On residents’ priority lists, relationships rank highest at 19%, careers and employment at 17%, health and fitness at 16%, community and local news at 15%, sport at 14%, fashion and beauty, alongside food and cooking, at 14%.

Absa is Middelburg’s favourite bank at 32% with Capitec in second at 22%, followed by FNB (21%), Nedbank (17%) and Standard Bank (6%).

Only 14% of respondents bought something online over the last 12 months, while 64% of residents prefer advertising in the Middelburg Observer, with 86% of respondents saying they shop mainly over weekends.

More than half of our society (54%) own dogs, while 36% have home security.

Game ranks very high in the four shopping for the home categories, namely electrical, furniture, DIY and accessories, while 72% of residents do bulk shopping once a month, 27% fortnightly and only 2% weekly.

Most residents, 45% and 63%, shop for clothes and shoes twice per year and Mr Price is the preferred retailer (34%) with Edgars next (29%), Ackermans (28%), PEP (26%) and Woolworths (23%).

One thing lacking sorely in Middelburg is entertainment, with only 12% of locals having gone to the movies, theatre, expo, concert or live sports event over 12 months.
It makes sense then that 96% of respondents said they are satellite TV subscribers.

Altogether 42% of people exercised weekly to work off that KFC flab, with 27% of residents visiting the Colonel in the past month, 19% McDonald’s, 15% Spur, 12% Steers and 10% Debonairs.

Running and walking is, however, the town’s favourite exercise at 43% participation, 29% swim, 23% play group sports, 19% gym, 15% do aerobics and other classes and 9% cycle.

The survey concluded with the titillating titbit of male facials, manicures and beauty treatments, with 10% of men receiving treatments more than once every month compared to 18% of the fairer sex who lagged surprisingly behind with 5% on paid hair styling, with 95% of men preferring a salon to 90% of local women.