Foreign exchange: monitoring xenophobia in South Africa

Abstract

Nearly four years have passed since countrywide xenophobic violence resulted in 62 deaths and the forced displacement of tens of thousands of people. In the aftermath of the May 2008 attacks, the South African government and civil society pledged to fight xenophobia. STEVEN GORDON, BEN ROBERTS and JARE STRUWIG present findings on public attitudes towards foreign migrants and the extent to which they have changed over the last decade. The results suggest that xenophobia has not significantly declined post-2008, and remains an entrenched phenomenon in our society.