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South Africa’s unemployment rate, at over 30%, is roughly six times higher than the global average. The country’s voters say that illegal immigrants are to blame for that. This is according to polls conducted in July by The Common Sense in conjunction with the Social Research Foundation*.

The polls put it to respondents that foreign immigrants were one of the primary reasons why South Africans did not have jobs “because they take the jobs belonging to South Africans” and asked them if they agreed or disagreed with that statement.

Among all registered voters, 71% said that they agreed while 26% said that they disagreed.

Among black voters, 79% agreed, while the figure for white voters was 32%.

Among African National Congress voters, 68% agreed, among Economic Freedom Fighters voters the figure was 74%, and among uMkhonto weSizwe Party voters it was 88%.

Among suburban voters, 52% agreed, compared to 80% among township voters and 68% among voters living in shacks.

Among voters with incomes of between R2 000 and R3 000 a month, 82% agreed, while among voters with incomes of over R20 000, the figure was 52%.

The data are set out in the chart below.

The data suggest that efforts to scapegoat immigrants for South Africa’s social and economic problems have been fairly successful, even though, with South Affrica’s very low investment and economic growth rates, there is no prospect for any significant levels of job creation.

* The Social Research Foundation’s Q2 2026 Market Survey was conducted in conjunction with The Common Sense and carried out by Victory Research among 2 214 registered voters between 8 and 31 July 2026 using telephonic CATI interviews. National results are based on the full sample of 2 214 respondents. Metro results are based on samples of 504 respondents in Johannesburg, 508 in Tshwane, and 500 in eThekwini. A single frame random digit dialling design was used, drawing from all possible South African mobile numbers to ensure that every number had an equal probability of selection. National SIM card penetration exceeds 250.0%, more than 90.0% of adults own a phone, and mobile networks cover 99.8% of the population, providing universal practical coverage. The samples were fully weighted to match the relevant registered voter populations across all key demographics, including language, age, race, gender, education, income, and urban or rural location. Turnout modelling assigned each respondent a probability of voting based on questions measuring their likelihood of participation, with the primary turnout model set at 56.0%. The national results carry a margin of error of 2.1% at a 95.0% confidence level, while the Johannesburg, Tshwane, and eThekwini results each carry a margin of error of 4.4%. The survey has a design effect of 3.7938.