Half of white South Africans disagree with United States President Donald Trump’s claims that there is a white genocide in the country.

This is according to new polling released by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR), a think tank based in Johannesburg.

The polling, conducted in March, surveyed a demographically representative sample of more than 1 000 people.

Respondents were asked if they agreed or disagreed with Trump’s claims that a white genocide is taking place in South Africa.

Fifty percent of white South Africans said they disagreed, with 37% agreeing, and the remainder being unsure or unwilling to answer. This means that, of those who did have a view, nearly 60% disagreed with the statement.

Overall, 71% of South Africans disagreed with Trump’s view that there was a white genocide taking place, while 20% agreed, with the remainder unsure or unwilling to answer.

Seventy-four percent of black South Africans disagreed with Trump’s view, while 17% believed there was a white genocide, with the remainder unsure or refusing to answer.

Among coloured South Africans, 82% disagreed with Trump’s statement, 11% agreed, and 7% were unsure or unwilling to answer.

Among Indian South Africans, 58% disagreed with Trump’s claims, while 32% agreed, with the remainder unsure or refusing to answer.

The author of the IRR’s report, Hermann Pretorius, said that the polling showed that “the overwhelming majority of citizens, including most whites, do not accept the language of white genocide as an accurate description of their society. That is a finding of both domestic and international significance.”

These findings cut directly against a growing narrative on parts of the post-liberal right globally, where claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa are increasingly amplified. These claims are not only unsupported by the data, but risk distorting international perceptions of the country in ways that are unhelpful to its economic and diplomatic interests.

At the same time, South Africa does face a severe and very real crisis of violent and predatory crime. This is a broad-based problem that affects South Africans across all racial groups, not a targeted campaign against any one community. The Common Sense will publish data next week tracing the history of this crisis and showing clearly how it impacts households, businesses, and communities across the country.

South African organisations and commentators have a responsibility to be clear and consistent in rejecting inaccurate claims, including those around a white genocide. Association with claims that are demonstrably untrue risks weakening the credibility of their broader arguments, even where those arguments may be valid.

Importantly, the IRR’s polling aligns with wider evidence that South Africans of different races continue to get on relatively well and share common aspirations. That reality stands in contrast to more polarised portrayals of the country and remains one of South Africa’s most important underlying strengths.