Post by cjm on Jul 28, 2016 8:33:36 GMT
www.politicsweb.co.za/news-and-analysis/majority-stills-feels-close-to-the-anc--hsrc
Conclusion
Going into the 2016 Local Government Elections it is clear that voter’s alignment, identification ‘’or feelings of closeness” to the party of choice among ANC and DA voter have not shifted dramatically over the past seven years. However, there is evidence that “feelings of closeness” have gradually declined among both ANC and DA supporters. In contrast, ‘’feelings of closeness’’ among supporters of the EFF is much higher compared to supporters of the DA and ANC.
Supporters of the EFF therefore align and identify much stronger with the party than DA and ANC supporters. Although it is not in the ambit of this article to speculate about the implications of these findings, research has shown that close alignment with a party of choice impacts on voting intention. Voters that feel more aligned or “close” to a party are much more inclined to cast a ballot in support of their party of choice. Voter turnout during the 2016 Local Government Elections will be closely monitored to determine if this was the case.
Jare Struwig, Stephen Gordon and Benjamin Roberts are researchers at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and are responsible for the South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS), a nationally representative, repeated cross-sectional survey that has been conducted annually by the HSRC since 2003.
Conclusion
Going into the 2016 Local Government Elections it is clear that voter’s alignment, identification ‘’or feelings of closeness” to the party of choice among ANC and DA voter have not shifted dramatically over the past seven years. However, there is evidence that “feelings of closeness” have gradually declined among both ANC and DA supporters. In contrast, ‘’feelings of closeness’’ among supporters of the EFF is much higher compared to supporters of the DA and ANC.
Supporters of the EFF therefore align and identify much stronger with the party than DA and ANC supporters. Although it is not in the ambit of this article to speculate about the implications of these findings, research has shown that close alignment with a party of choice impacts on voting intention. Voters that feel more aligned or “close” to a party are much more inclined to cast a ballot in support of their party of choice. Voter turnout during the 2016 Local Government Elections will be closely monitored to determine if this was the case.
Jare Struwig, Stephen Gordon and Benjamin Roberts are researchers at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and are responsible for the South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS), a nationally representative, repeated cross-sectional survey that has been conducted annually by the HSRC since 2003.