ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR OF THE NEW SOUTH-AFRICAN ELECTORATE - AN EMPIRICAL-ASSESSMENT

The peaceful democratization in South Africa was widely seen as somewh at of a miracle. Academics and politicians marvelled at the process wh ile the electorate enjoyed for the first time the experience of being able to vote. This new experience, together with the change in voting systems and structures, moulded the 'new' electorate of South Africa. This paper will provide the reader with insight into the attitudes and behaviour of the electorate in South Africa by giving attention to th e trends that have emerged over the past five years. Empirical data fr om Markinor's Socio-political Trends, the World Social Values Study an d the International Optimism Index are used to highlight the perceptio ns that prevailed before and after South Africa's first democratic ele ction. Attention will be given to perceptions on pertinent issues such as economic well-being, social harmony and trust. The successful appl ication of survey research in the political field has been questioned in the past, especially in South Africa where there were no opportunit ies to compare survey results with election results. This paper highli ghts the procedures that were followed in the research design and comp ares the survey results with the actual election results. Differences in these results are investigated.