TRACKING THE PULSE OF THE PEOPLE: THE WORLD VALUES SURVEY IN SOUTH AFRICA

At no point in recent history have citizens from across the world been faced with so many severe challenges. The number of democracies worldwide has started to decline, and poor governance, corruption, and a political elite that are seemingly out of touch with the citizens they are supposed to serve have resulted in widespread distrust of governments and political leaders.

Rising populist and nationalist sentiments have divided nations, while protests in support of minorities (Black Lives Matter) and women(#MeToo) have proliferated across the world. The global coronavirus pandemic has strained even the most

sophisticated national healthcare systems, while many national economies have been plunged into turmoil, resulting in rising unemployment, inequality, and insecurity.

Mapping and understanding the basic values and beliefs of people has never been as important. By investigating the political, economic, religious and social orientations of societies of diverse cultural traditions, researchers and policymakers are uniquely positioned to analyse social change with increasing effectiveness. This project will generate new survey data for South Africa that will be incorporated into the World Values Survey global dataset.

The data will be available for widespread use by academics and practitioners and serve as the foundation for research collaboration between both established and emerging academics throughout the world.