HEARTBEAT OF A NATION: EXPLORING A NATION THROUGH TEN BEHAVIOURAL GROUPS
Supporters of Heritage is the second last group to be explored in the behavioural group series. The unique feature of this group is their focus on the role of heritage in shaping what South Africa is, and who South Africans are. In 2018, the group’s anxieties regarding the state of the country increased as their perception of the country as lacking direction was replaced by a more gloomier belief that the country has no direction.
Consisting of just 11% of the South African population, Supporters of Heritage have the lowest salience as a group among the ten behaviour groups, and second lowest in terms of cohesiveness, at 2%. The group has a negative perception of South Africa, looking at the status quo of the country in terms of losing direction and creating an uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty for the future. Supporters of Heritage have a higher presence of 22% in KwaZulu-Natal, 15% in Western Cape and are poorly represented in Gauteng at 14%. A mere 58% of this group identifies as proudly South African, which is one percentage point lower than the national average. The group used to hold a strong belief in the importance of a democratic society, but this started to fade away as their perceptions shifted. Supporters of heritage are largely orientated around the historical and traditional way of doing things.
Supporters of Heritage generally express negative beliefs on the country and believe that they are marginalized and discriminated against as South Africans. Their pessimism is fuelled by their awareness and disappointment of day-to-day happenings in South Africa, drawing a distinction between the past and the present. South Africa’s transition towards a democracy is one of the last proudly acknowledged political developments this group acknowledges. However, they are reluctant to come with solution-based ideas, and are neither inclined to address issues which create a lasting feeling of isolation in their psyche.
Economically, this group consists of members whose monthly gross household is slightly lower than the national average, and their gross personal income is slightly higher than the national average. Paired with the figure of merely 47% of this group feeling closer to others, the low household income suggests this group has weaker social support networks and household support than other groups. Despite their economic woes, this group is likely to independently take action to support themselves. There poor social network also explains their low levels of community participation and activism.
The group further displays slightly less trust in the private sector at 66% of the group who trust the private sector. However, the group is less likely to vote with a belief that their votes will not make a difference, further being complimented by their indecisiveness as to who they should vote for.
Behavioural Group Research Methodology
Survey classification | Description |
Research conducted by | African Response and MarkData |
Confidentiality | Respondent information is kept confidential and in line with ESOMAR Code of Conduct practices |
Survey dates | The survey was administered between October and November 2019 |
Sample size | n = 2 500, a final sample of 2 506 realised |
Sample selection | Multi-staged stratified random design using StastSA 2018 mid-year population estimates |
Margin of error | 0.097 at 95% confidence level |
Data collection methodology | Face-to-face in-home interviews on Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) devices |
Weighting of data | Weighted, using RIM weight methodology. Weight efficiency was 87% |
Reporting | Weighted, percentages are rounded |
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Contact: Dr. Petrus de Kock, Brand South Africa, General Manager – Research +27 11 –712 5000 petrusd@brandsouthafrica.com