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New polling from The Common Sense and the Social Research Foundation shows that voters over 65 are the least likely to agree with the statement "I am personally sympathetic to the plight of foreign immigrants and have no issue with them". Among over-65s, 43% agree and 53% disagree, with 49% disagreeing strongly. Among 25 to 34-year-olds, 67% agree and 33% disagree, with 21% disagreeing strongly. The 35 to 44 and 45 to 64 groups sit between, at 59% and 53% agreement. The full breakdown by strength of view is set out in the chart below.*

The contrast between the oldest and the youngest large group is 24 points and holds comfortably. The steps between neighbouring age groups are smaller, between six and ten points, and should be read as a direction rather than as separate findings. What shifts is strong disagreement, which more than doubles from the 25 to 34 group to the over-65s, while strong agreement halves. The 18 to 24 group agrees at 60%, but that rests on 90 respondents and is faded in the chart. The survey describes attitudes by age group at one point in time; it does not show whether individuals change their views as they age, and age groups differ in race, area, and employment in ways the data cannot separate.

* 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.