What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim was to assess South Africans' attitudes towards human rights and social support during COVID-19 lockdown.

May 24, 2026Open Access

HSRC-UJ survey findings call for state and civil society collaboration to rebuild trust

Key Points

The aim was to assess South Africans' attitudes towards human rights and social support during COVID-19 lockdown.
Conducted a survey involving various socioeconomic groups across South Africa
Analyzed responses regarding willingness to sacrifice rights and support for food parcels
Approximately two-thirds of respondents are willing to sacrifice some human rights to curb COVID-19 spread.
Over three-quarters of adults support providing food parcels to those in need.

Abstract

Approximately two-thirds of South Africans said they would be willing to sacrifice some human rights to prevent the spread of COVID-19; and over three-quarters of adults across socioeconomic groups agreed that food parcels should be given to those who need them. These are some of the findings of the COVID-19 Democracy Survey undertaken by the HSRC and the University of Johannesburg that point to feelings of social solidarity and cooperation among South Africans during lockdown.

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Cite This Study

Human Sciences Research Council (Fri,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a12963748a0ea1665672d6e https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.14749/32378400

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