An Afrobarometer survey on political opinion has showed that white people do not feel more vulnerable to crime than other population groups.
The study has contributed to the controversy over Brandon Huntly’s disputed refugee status in Canada based on racial violence against white South Africans by pointing out that its findings do not support the contention.
The Afrobarometer, which is hosted by African democracy institute Idasa, revealed that white people are subjected to crime less than other population groups in South Africa and in fact, the fear of crime has declined among white citizens, while it has increased for other race groups.
Idasa has called attention to its Afrobarometer findings from its most recent South African survey in the light of the re-opening of the decision of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board to grant asylum to Brandon Huntly on the grounds that as a white South African he was being persecuted by black South African criminals.
Afrobarometer’s findings in fact showed that whites are not victims of crime to a greater extent than other population groups and that fear and experience of crime are actually lowest among white people.
A sample of 2 400 randomly selected participants was asked “Over the past year, how often, if ever, have you or anyone in your family feared crime in your own home?” It found that significantly fewer (21%) white South Africans than black citizens (35%) expressed fear of crime always, many or several times in the past year.
A comparison of fear of crime over time revealed that although in 2002 more white people (48%) than non-white people (30%) expressed fear of being victims of crime, there has been a decrease in the number of white citizens claiming frequent fear, notably in 2008 (21%). In fact, fear of crime has increased slightly for black people (from 30% to 35%).
While just over 25% of South Africans reported that they had something stolen from their home in the past year at least several times, white respondents (11%) were less likely than all other race groups to state that they were frequent victims of theft from the home.
White and coloured respondents experienced less fear of crime in comparison to black respondents. Only Asian respondents appear to have significantly more fear of crime than black respondents.
Poverty has a significant influence on fear of crime, with those living in poverty tending to be more fearful. Education has no effect on fear of crime, but urban respondents have more fear than those in rural areas.
The research also showed an association between fear of crime and confidence in the future direction of the country, with those who fear crime more likely to think that the country is heading in the wrong direction, whilst those who do not fear crime tending to be more ambivalent about the future.
Interestingly, though, only 5% of black people mentioned crime as their most important problem, even though they experience more fear and victimisation than other groups, except Asians. Thus, it appears that black South Africans may place less emphasis on crime as a priority problem not because they are less affected, but rather because unemployment takes greater precedence.