The South African Reconciliation Barometer for 2015 has found that South Africans are making progress in terms of reconciliation. They survey by Institute for Justice and Reconciliation found that South Africans generally believe that the country has made progress on the road to national reconciliation since the end of apartheid with a total of 59.2% agreeing.
The survey is the only of its kind in the country that measures South Africans’ attitudes towards national unity and reconciliation.
Key finds of the survey included:
South Africans generally believe that the country has made progress on the road to national reconciliation since the end of apartheid (59.2%), and are convinced that the country has to continue to pursue it as a national objective (69.7%).
Most, however, believe that this objective will remain impossible for as long as those who were disadvantaged under apartheid remain poor. Inequality remains the most frequently mentioned source of social division within South Africa.
A majority of respondents (61.4%) feel that race relations since 1994 have either stayed the same or deteriorated. Only 35.6% of the sample indicated that they experience no racism in their daily lives. Moreover, trust between the country’s historically defined racial groups remains low – 67.3% of all respondents noted that they have little to no trust in their fellow citizens of other racial groups.
Most interracial interaction between South Africans occurs in public spaces, such as places of work and study and shopping centres. Interaction in more intimate spaces, such as private homes and social or communal gatherings, is limited. Citizens who are materially better off report higher levels of interracial interaction than those who are worse off.
Although South Africans primarily associate with their own race and language groups, 75.5% of respondents noted that they regard being South African as a very important part of their identity.
Most respondents (71%) believe that it is important to strive for the creation of a united South African nation.
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