Almost half of voters say South Africa’s foreign policy should prioritise economic benefit, while just 13.1% still want ideology to guide alliances, signalling a clear public preference for growth-driven engagement with the United States.

Previous polling commissioned by the Social Research Foundation (SRF) asked people to choose between two stark options. Almost half, 45.6% of the total sample and 41.0% of black voters, said government should line up with partners offering the greatest economic benefit for South Africans. Only 13.1% still placed loyalty to the liberation struggle first. Even among ANC voters pragmatic realism won 42.0% support, eclipsing the 19.0% who preferred ideology.

For opposition supporters the preference for trade over nostalgia was overwhelming, with DA voters favouring economic benefit by a four-to-one margin. The pattern mirrors earlier SRF surveys that show bread-and-butter considerations trump symbolic diplomacy across race and class. For households squeezed by weak growth and persistent unemployment the yardstick is simple: does a relationship produce factories, paycheques, and skills? If not, it has little political currency. The data therefore challenge political leaders still wedded to Cold War era alignments.

Future coalitions will be judged less on which flag they salute and more on whether they can open doors to investment, tourism, and knowledge exchange. Failing to put growth first risks widening the gulf between Pretoria’s rhetoric and the daily priorities of citizens who want decent jobs, working infrastructure, and the prospect of upward mobility.