Izwi labantu (voice of the people): tracking public opinion through political transition

Abstract

Deliberations about the existence, nature and utility of 'public opinion' (Bourdieu 1979; Habermas 1991) have captured the interest of sociologists and communicators for many decades. Public opinion is widely recognised, reified and personified as a social phenomenon (Baisnee 2007; Krippendorf 2005) and monitored internationally to capture social and political trends (Jowell & Hoinville 1976; Lippmann 2017). Accordingly, multiple research projects undertaken by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) before and after the advent of democracy entailed the testing of prevailing views and attitudes about contemporary issues and values. This chapter juxtaposes selected content and findings of the HSRC's public opinion surveys with the trajectory of national political changes and developments (Carri??n & Kaufman 2018; Mattes 2012). The role and impact of HSRC public opinion research on the emergence and development of policy in a continually changing political environment (Amir & Kant 2017; Crines 2013) is thus assessed.