As South Africa prepares to bury Nelson Mandela, young Africans are optimistic about the future

With the passing of Nelson Mandela it might be timely to put aside out-of-date and ill-informed views of Africa, and see it the way Africans seem to: With a high level of optimism.

Two-thirds of respondents to a CNN survey of more than 9,000 people across South Africa and 19 other African countries say they feel more confident about the future than when Mandela came to power.

Corruption tops their list of fears -- particularly in Nigeria -- but generally they believe their leaders are "doing their best."

The survey, conducted on smartphones, PCs and web-enabled feature phones, was an attempt to give a sense of the mood of Africans about their future and Mandela's legacy.

It suggests a positive outlook, and perhaps surprising high levels of patience with African leaders, and immense respect for Mandela as a leader for Africa not just South Africa. The survey is weighted towards South Africa with 4,871 respondents, but gives insights to other countries across a hugely diverse continent where Mandela had a huge impact.

Think you know Africa? Think again

If you think of Africa as war-torn, corrupt, beset by crippling poverty, starvation and a raging AIDS epidemic, that's not the reality or how Africans see themselves and their future.