SA respects different races - survey
2010-07-29 15:06
Cape Town - Forty-eight percent of South Africans agree that different race groups respect each other, while 41% disagree, according to a survey released on Thursday.
"This study, run before the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, shows that there is a strong current of goodwill in the country. It is likely to be even stronger now after the World Cup," marketing and social insights company TNS research said in a statement.
"People were somewhat more in favour of this statement than against, with 48% agreeing, 41% disagreeing... ."
The rest gave a "don't know" response.
A total of 2 000 adults from seven major metropolitan areas in South Africa were asked face-to-face if they agreed or disagreed with the statement that "different race groups respect each other".
TNS said it was impossible not to look at the results by race group, and the differences were not as great as might have been expected.
Fifty percent of blacks and 39% of whites agreed that different race groups respect each other.
Women less positive
Across all races women were less positive than men.
The highest level of agreement was found among black men at 52%, the lowest among white women at 34%.
Younger people were more likely to agree with the statement, with 52% of those aged 24-years and under giving it the nod.
This dropped to 41% for those aged 60 and older.
Results by city showed notable differences, which were "probably" linked to race and wealth profiles of different regions.
Soweto, Johannesburg, Durban and East London were the most positive.
Pretoria, the South Rand or Vaal Triangle and especially Bloemfontein, were the most negative.
TNS said race had always been a contentious issue in South Africa. However given the advanced nature of the country's Constitution, which had a strong human rights philosophy, it seemed there was much work to be done to garner respect for people from all backgrounds, it said.
- SAPA