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New polling from The Common Sense and the Social Research Foundation shows that agreement with the statement that foreign immigrants are one of the primary reasons South Africa does not have enough jobs is highest among voters looking for work, at 80%, and lowest among voters who own a formal business, at 44%. The informally employed (79%), those not looking for work (75%), retirees (69%), and the formally employed (68%) sit between the two, and are not clearly distinguishable from one another. The full figures are set out in the chart below.*

The business-owner figure rests on 169 respondents and is faded in the chart; the difference between job-seekers and the formally employed is 12 points, which is at the edge of what the survey can resolve for groups of this size and should be read as "somewhat more likely" rather than as a firm gap. One further caution belongs in the open. Employment status in this survey is closely tied to population group: more than nine in ten job-seekers are black, while formal business owners are more evenly spread, and population group is itself strongly related to views on this question. The survey cannot separate the two. The figures describe who holds the view, not why they hold it.

* 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.