Protest and political participation in South Africa: time trends and characteristics of protesters

This paper assesses the trends of protest participation over the last decade in South Africa, and provides insights into protestors’ demographic characteristics, perceptions of government accessibility, and political behaviour.

The paper relies on the results of an Afrobarometer survey and demonstrates that:

• when viewed over time, fewer people in more recent rounds say they have protested and more South Africans say they would never protest
• blacks reported much higher rates of attending a demonstration or protest march over the past year than their white or coloured counterparts
• South Africans who have attended some university schooling, but not completed university, have the highest likelihood of having protested in the past year
• there is a strong correlation between poverty levels and participation in protests: poorer people are more likely to have protested
• people who protested within the past year were more likely to report that their local government councilors listen to them often or always
• it seems that having protested in the past year is not associated with age, sex, or residential location

The author suggests that the violent nature of many protests along with increasingly security responses could have contributed to the declined trend of participation in protests. Furthermore, it could be that people who perceive that it is worthwhile to express their opinions are both more likely to protest and more likely to think that government officials listen to them.