6 in 10 South Africans happy with their democracy
Mar 14, 2012, 4:27 PM
JOHANNESBURG (AP) – An independent African think tank says six of every 10 South Africans are satisfied with their nation’s style of democracy, but belief in an unrestricted media has dropped.
“Personal satisfaction” on the country’s democracy rose from 49 percent in 2008 to 60 percent in 2011, according to a poll by the continentwide Afrobarometer research group.
Afrobarometer said Wednesday the results of the late 2011 poll are 95 percent accurate, with a 2 percent margin of error.
Ahead of proposed media curbs two decades after the end of apartheid era rule, pollsters reported a “substantial” shift in views on media freedoms. This time around, 61 percent of people believed the media should publish without government control, compared to almost 80 percent in 2008.
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