- Fully seven in 10 South Africans (70%) are dissatisfied with the way democracy works in their country, while only one-quarter (25%) express satisfaction (Figure 1).
- Only one-third of citizens (33%) consider South Africa “a full democracy” (11%) or “a democracy with minor problems” (22%) (Figure 2). o Nearly two-thirds (63%) say the country is “a democracy with major problems” (49%) or is “not a democracy” (14%).
- A growing majority (72%) of South Africans would be willing to forgo elections if a non-elected government could provide security, jobs, and housing (Figure 3). o This has been the majority view in all survey rounds since 2006 but reached a new high in 2022 amid the health and economic crises presented by COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war.
- South Africans rank unemployment as the country’s most important problem that the government urgently needs to address, cited by 52% of respondents as one of their three priorities (Figure 4). o Unemployment is followed by crime/security (38%), electricity (32%), water supply (21%), and corruption (19%).
- A majority (63%) of citizens say they do not feel close to any particular political party, while 37% say they do (Figure 5). o Among respondents who identify with a political party, slightly more than half (52%) say they feel close to the African National Congress (ANC), 17% say the Democratic Alliance (DA), 12% the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and 7% the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
A majority of South Africans are dissatisfied with the way democracy works in their country, an Afrobarometer survey indicates. Few citizens see South Africa as a well-functioning democracy and a growing majority would be willing to forgo elections in favor of an unelected but efficient government that delivers security, jobs, and housing. South Africans rank unemployment as the most important problem facing the country, followed by crime/security, electricity, water supply, and corruption. Only a minority say they feel close to any political party. If elections were held tomorrow, the ruling African National Congress would hold the lead, with about one-third of respondents, but a larger share declined to state a voting intention.
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