Citizens' preferences for tackling xenophobic violence in an African context: a South African case study

Abstract

In the last few decades, South Africa has experienced destructive waves of anti-immigrant violence. Tackling this kind of hate crime requires co-ordinated action. Mobilizing such action would be easier if researchers, activists, and policymakers better understood public opinion on antixenophobia interventions. This article examines individual preferences for different types of interventions using nationally representative public opinion data from the South African Social Attitudes Survey. To avoid possible researcher bias, this study uses textual data from open-ended questions. Seven different antixenophobia strategies (ranging from anti-immigrant pogroms to public awareness campaigns) were identified. Support for these strategies was driven by the following: (a) lay attributions of responsibility; (b) social dominance orientation; (c) political trust; and (d) homophilious tendencies. These findings provide important insight into the general populace's construals of violence and how these shape support for redress. This study can be used to design strategies to build public support for effective antixenophobia interventions.