The results of a survey conducted to find out whether President Thabo Mbeki is doing a good job show that sentiments vary according to race, location and age — but the bottom line is that Mbeki’s popularity is improving.
The results, released on Wednesday by Research Surveys, come from a representative sample of 2 000 respondents over the age of 18 interviewed in the major metropolitan areas of South Africa.
According to the research, 13% of adults living in these areas would not comment, while 47% showed he is doing a good job, compared to 40% who felt he is not.
The results for the metropolitan population have improved ”significantly” over time, Research Surveys said.
”In February 2002, only 27% of metropolitan South Africans felt Thabo Mbeki was doing a good job. In February 2003, this figure rose to 37%. In August 2003, it was 43% and in February 2004, it stands at 47%.”
However, the results indicate that popularity for the president is lowest among the youth (18 to 24 years) with 40% approving. This is only marginally higher than among senior citizens (50 years and older) where 43% approved.
Perceptions improved among the 35-to-49-years category (47%), and the highest rating (52%) came from the 25- to 34-year-olds.
The survey shows that racial skews are evident. Sixty percent of the black population has positive feelings about Mbeki’s presidency, compared with only 16% of whites. The figures for coloureds and Indians are in the region of 30% each.
Income and geographical location also plays a role, with positive sentiment towards the president decreasing with affluence. Half of those earning between R2 500 and R4 000 household income per month thought Mbeki is doing a ”good job”.
This dropped to 25% among those earning R15 000 plus per household monthly.
The figures for the unemployed sectors of the population are ”significantly” higher than for those working or retired individuals — 54% are happy with Mbeki versus 45% for working individuals and 43% for retired/student/housewife populations.
Research, however, indicates that this could be attributed directly to race, with unemployment affecting black people more than any other race group.
Among black, unemployed people, 34% felt Mbeki is not doing a good job, compared with 25% among all blacks.
Inhabitants of Cape Town were the most disgruntled with the president, with only 34% of those in Cape Town feeling he is doing a good job, followed by 42% in Durban, 50% in Gauteng and 55% in the Eastern Cape/Bloemfontein.
The pre-election research was conducted during late February and early March. — Sapa