The Study of Political Tolerance in the South African Context

The findings of interviews with a panel of over 2,000 respondents in both 1996 and 1997 indicated that high levels of political intolerance still existed in South Africa, and that the target groups selected by most people are still central competitors for political power. Political intolerance in South Africa is multi-focused rather than pluralistic since it is concentrated on a few groups, such as the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), the right-wing Afrikaner Weerstands Beweging (AWB), Afrikaners and homosexuals. (In)tolerance stems from the feeling of being threatened and from psychological insecurity, and is connected to a larger set of beliefs about democratic institutions and processes. Threat perception proved the best predictor of political intolerance and was more influential than context. Threat perceptions are associated with strong group identity and group solidarity, and have little to do with the perceived strength of the ‘enemy’ group or the degree to which it is perceived to hold power. Bibliogr., note. [ASC Leiden abstract]