Most in SA happy with their democracy

2012-03-14 22:35

Johannesburg - An independent African think tank says six of every 10 South Africans are satisfied with their nation's style of democracy, but belief in an unrestricted media has dropped.

"Personal satisfaction" on the country's democracy rose from 49% in 2008 to 60% in 2011, according to a poll by the continent-wide Afrobarometer research group.

Afrobarometer said on Wednesday the results of the late 2011 poll are 95% accurate, with a 2% margin of error.

Ahead of proposed media curbs two decades after the end of apartheid era rule, pollsters reported a "substantial" shift in views on media freedoms.

This time around, 61% of people believed the media should publish without government control, compared to almost 80% in 2008.

- SAPA