A survey on South Africans’ racial perceptions shows low levels of interracial trust, coupled with greater acceptance of sharing domestic spaces with other groups. Afrobarometer on Tuesday released its report on South African ethnic identity, which revealed several interracial sentiments. The report details inter-ethnic trust levels in South Africa broken down by race, age, location and education.
“Trust is a key indicator of social harmony. If citizens don’t trust those who belong to other groups, they are far less likely to cooperate, break down implicit barriers, and work toward reconciliation,”the report states. Of those surveyed, 31% answered either ‘somewhat’ or ‘a lot’ when asked if they trusted other ethnic groups.
Men were more likely to trust other races, with 34% reporting positive views, whereas women reported 28% trust in other groups. Trust decreased with age, as respondents over the age of 56 recorded 41% cross-race trust, while those aged between 36 and 55 and between 18 and 35 recorded 32% and 26%, respectively. Limpopo was the most racially trusting province, with 41%, with KwaZulu-Natal recording the lowest at 19% of respondents indicating they trusted other races.
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Coloured respondents trusted other races the most with 44%, followed by black respondents at 32%, white respondents at 17% and Asian respondents at 8%. Above:The percentage of respondents answering yes to having a degree of trust in other groups. Picture: Afrobarometer.
While trust levels were low, South Africans showed a high tolerance for interracial marriage as well as living in multi-racial suburbs. Only 20% of respondents said they would not want other races as neighbours, while 79% of all respondents stated they had no problem with people of other races marrying into their families.
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