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Large majorities of black South Africans, as well as African National Congress (ANC) and uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) supporters, agree that South Africa would be worse off if white South Africans left the country. A plurality of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) supporters also held this view.

This is according to polling conducted by The Common Sense, in conjunction with the Social Research Foundation (SRF), in July.

The following statement was put to people: “If all white South Africans chose to leave South Africa, do you think South Africa would be better or worse off?” People could say they either thought South Africa would be better off or worse off.

Of all respondents, 17% said that they thought South Africa would be better off if all whites left, with 72% saying the country would be worse off. The remainder refused to answer or were unsure.

The chart below shows the views of all respondents, black South Africans, white South Africans, and supporters of the four biggest political parties in South Africa, the ANC, Democratic Alliance (DA), MKP, and the EFF, on whether South Africa would be better off if all whites left.

The findings point to a South Africa in which race relations are considerably healthier than much of the country’s political rhetoric and media coverage would suggest. Even among EFF supporters, more believe South Africa would be worse off if white South Africans left than believe it would be better off. That is consistent with earlier polling by the SRF and organisations such as the Institute of Race Relations, which has repeatedly found that South Africans generally get on with one another and understand that the country’s different racial communities depend on each other for economic and social progress. The politics of racial division may be loud, but it appears to speak for far fewer South Africans than its prominence would suggest.

* 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.