IDASA Local Election Study 1995
South Africa, 1995
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Reference ID
zaf-idasa-iles-1995-v1
Producer(s)
Institute for Democracy in South Africa
Metadata
Created on
Oct 24, 2012
Last modified
Jun 20, 2020
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25015
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Identification
Survey ID Number
zaf-idasa-iles-1995-v1
Title
IDASA Local Election Study 1995
Country
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| South Africa | zaf |
Study type
Public Opinion Survey
Abstract
The 1995 community elections were widely seen to be the closing chapter in South Africa's transition to democracy. These elections would provide citizens with a direct and equal voice in government at the most basic level. They were also seen as the vehicle which would restore to local government the legitimacy necessary to begin the process of reconstruction and development, as well as the authority to bring about law and order in areas where it had broken down. Until these elections, local government in towns and metropolitan areas had been fragmented, based on racially determined, apartheid “group areas”. There were virtually no formal structures of local government in rural areas. Whites (except those in rural areas) elected fully democratic councils to govern themselves. Since 1983, Coloured and Indian citizens were able to vote for local councils with limited powers under the Tricameral parliamentary structures. Africans living in Black townships inside “white” South Africa were legally able to vote for councillors to the “Black Local Authorities”. Local government in the “Black Local Authorities” and the local Tricameral structures in Coloured and Indian communities were constantly challenged. Rent and service boycotts, election stay-aways and physical intimidation of councillors left these governments barren of leaders, bankrupt and illegitimate. For Africans in the “national states” or “self-governing territories”, local government was even in greater disarray, with some urban areas having nominal local councils, and most rural areas being governed by a mixture of traditional leaders, regional services councils or development corporations.
The IDASA survey would provide first systematic evidence on individual attitudes toward the local government system in South Africa. The examination of the legitimacy of local government focused on four key areas: whether people felt local councils were in touch with public opinion; whether they felt able to influence local government; whether they trusted local councils to govern well; and whether they thought local councils were able to address key problems effectively.
The IDASA survey would provide first systematic evidence on individual attitudes toward the local government system in South Africa. The examination of the legitimacy of local government focused on four key areas: whether people felt local councils were in touch with public opinion; whether they felt able to influence local government; whether they trusted local councils to govern well; and whether they thought local councils were able to address key problems effectively.
Kind of Data
Sample survey data
Unit of Analysis
Households and individuals
Version
Version Description
v1: Edited, anonymised data for licensed distribution
Version Date
1995
Scope
Notes
Basic information was collected on respondents, including age, occupation, highest level of qualification, monthly household income, language, type of living area, population group and gender. The survey focused on issues such as voting intentions, knowledge of voting procedures and party identification. It also examined attitudes towards democracy, evaluations of government performance, views of local councils and economic evaluations.
Keywords
| Keyword |
|---|
| political attitudes |
| democracy |
Coverage
Geographic Coverage
The survey has national coverage.
Geographic Unit
The lowest level of geographic aggregation covered by the data is magisterial district
Universe
The survey covered all adult South Africans who were eligible to vote in the 1995 local election
Producers and sponsors
Primary investigators
| Name |
|---|
| Institute for Democracy in South Africa |
Funding Agency/Sponsor
| Name | Abbreviation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| United States Agency for International Development | USAID | Funder |
Sampling
Sampling Procedure
The sample was drawn using a multi-stage, clustered random probability sample disproportionately stratified by province, population group and community size (metro, city, large town, small town, village and rural).
Weighting
Due to disproportionate sample, it was necessary to weight the data up to the universe, i.e. the South African voting public. The sample was weighted according to province, age, gender, type of area, language, income and education and projected onto the universe. The results were then weighted to reflect an electorate estimated at 24.3 million voters. A weight variable has been included in the dataset.
Data Collection
Dates of Data Collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 1995-09 | 1995-11 |
Data Collection Mode
Face-to-face [f2f]
Data Collectors
| Name |
|---|
| Market and Opinion Surveys (Pty) Ltd |
Access policy
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataFirst Helpdesk | University of Cape Town | support@data1st.org | Link |
Access conditions
Public use files, available to all
Citation requirements
Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA). IDASA Local Election Study 1995 [dataset]. Version 1. Cape Town: IDASA [producer], 1995. Cape Town: DataFirst [distributor], 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25828/7c6g-zd73
Access authority
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | info@data1st.org | Link |
Metadata production
DDI Document ID
ddi-zaf-datafirst-iles-1995-v1
Producers
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | Metadata Producer |
Date of Metadata Production
2020-06-20
DDI Document version
Version 3