South Africans are disillusioned with the idea of a united nation, according to the 2014 SA Reconciliation Barometer released on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Citizens’ desire for a united national identity had decreased from 72.9% in 2003 to 55% last year.<\/p>\n
“Amidst realities of diversity and inequality, perhaps the idea of unity is simplistic and does not adequately capture these realities,” the report stated.<\/p>\n
The barometer, published by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, looked at 10 years of data collected between 2003 and 2013.<\/p>\n
The report was entitled “Reflecting on Reconciliation: Lessons from the Past, Prospects for the Future”.<\/p>\n
Probing deeper into identity, the research found more people were associating with their race as an important marker of their identity.<\/p>\n
Despite increased racial identity, interracial mistrust had decreased from over 40% to 30% in the last decade.<\/p>\n
The report interpreted the results as the country opening up the space to move towards a shared identity of transformation rather than assimilation, characterised by difference, power, and conflict.<\/p>\n
Data was collected during face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample across all provinces. The 2013 sample was from 1,989 metro inhabitants and 1,601 non-metro inhabitants.<\/p>\n
How rich is South Africa?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n