84 percent of young South Africans who are aware of fracking are very or somewhat worried about its impact. These are the findings of a survey conducted by consumer insights company Pondering Panda after the Government announced the lifting of the moratorium on fracking.

Although more than 4 in 5 of respondents aware of fracking displayed concern about the technique, the majority of young people in South Africa did not know what the term referred to. Almost 2 in 3 (62 percent) said they had not heard of the technique before.

Of those who claimed they had heard of fracking, only 25 percent thought it referred to a method of extracting natural gas from under the ground. 34 percent thought it was a way to protect yourself from sunburn, while a further 26 percent believed it was a type of sexual activity.

Shirley Wakefield of Pondering Panda said: “Young South Africans who are aware of fracking clearly feel very strongly about the issue.

“Both Government and business need to do more to educate the public about fracking - both its economic benefits and potential environmental dangers. Where people do have reservations about fracking, these should be addressed to ensure support for any future project from the people it will affect most.”

Fracking, a technique used to fracture rock deep below the surface in order to extract natural gas deposits, has been gaining exposure after the South African Government’s recent decision affirming the safety of fracking and lifting the ban on shale gas exploration in the Karoo.

The results of the survey, obtained from interviews with 2843 respondents were weighted to be nationally representative. Pondering Panda conducts more interviews on a daily basis than any other market research company in Africa.

Pondering Panda is a member of the World of Avatar group, which also owns Mxit. All interviews were conducted through cell phones with Mxit users.