South African Social Attitudes

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The 2nd Report Reflections on the Age of Hope Since the transition to democracy in 1994, South Africa has become a well-documented nation. A multitude of national and sub-national studies have been conducted, yielding a wealth of information about the characteristics of South African society and how these have evolved over time. However, less is known about how South Africans feel about their world and themselves. There remains much scope for deepening our understanding of the public's values, chronicling how these have been changing, and determining the extent to which different segments of the population vary in their attitudes and beliefs. South African Social Attitudes: Reflections on the Age of Hope is the second in the HSRC series that aims to monitor the evolving dynamics of South African social values in relation to broader societal developments. It is based primarily on the findings of the 2004 and 2005 rounds of the South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS), which involved interviewing a nationally representative sample of more than 5000 individuals aged 16 years and older. Like its predecessor, South African Social Attitudes: Changing Times, Diverse Voices, this volume is structured according to three thematic sections. The first section on race, class, and politics examines the public's views on issues such as national priorities, racial redress, and local government and includes an in-depth examination of youth attitudes. The second section addresses perceptions about poverty, inequality, and service delivery. The final section on societal values focuses on attitudes in relation to religion, the environment, employment, and the fear of crime. South African Social Attitudes is essential reading for anyone seeking a guide to contemporary social or political issues and debates.

Introduction
Benjamin Roberts, Mbithi wa Kivilu and Yul Derek Davids

Part I: Race, class and politics

1. South Africans views about national priorities and the trustworthiness of institutions
   Stephen Rule and Zakes Langa
2. Attitdues towards racial redress in South Africa
   Kevin Durrheim
3. Public perceptions of local government
   Marlene Roefs and Doreen Atkinson
4. Demand governance versus democractic citizens: What do South Africans think?
   Yul Derek Davids
5. Youth voices in South Africa: Echoes in the age of hope
   Gerard Boyce

Part II: Poverty, inequality and service delivery

Winters of discontent? Attitudes towards service delivery
David Hemson
South Africans’ attitude to social integration in schools
Mbithi wa Kivilu, Mandla Diko and Ronnie Mmotlane
Towards a democratic definition of poverty: Socially perceived necessities in South Africa
Gemma Wright, Michael Noble and Wiseman Magasela

Child poverty and social exclusion in South Africa
Jonathan Bradshaw and John Holmes

Part III: Societal values

Christianity in South Africa: Theory and practice
Stephen Rule and Bongiwe Mncwango
South Africans attitudes towards the environment
Jaré Struwig
What do South Africans think about work, their jobs and organisations?
Carly Steyn

Fear factor: perceptions of safety in South Africa
Benjamin Roberts

Benjamin Roberts is a research specialist in the Child, Youth, Family and Social Development research programme at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). Before joining the HSRC, he was research fellow in the Population and Poverty Studies Programme at the School of Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Dr Mbithi wa Kivilu is the director and head of the Centre for Socio-Economic Surveys section of the Knowledge Systems unit at the HSRC. Before joining the HSRC, Dr Kivilu worked as a lecturer at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr Kivilu also worked as a research consultant as part of a post-graduate fellowship for the Centre for Research in Applied Measurement and Evaluation based in the University of Alberta. He has undertaken projects for organisations such as the South African National Department of Education, Gauteng Department of Education, USAID, DANIDA, UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank.

Yul Derek Davids is a research manager in the Centre for Socio-Economic Surveys section of the Knowledge Systems unit at the HSRC. Before joining the HSRC, he was manager of the Public Opinion Service at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA). He has also managed the Afrobarometer project at IDASA, which conducts periodic public opinion surveys across Africa.