Public Attitudes in Contemporary SA is a compilation that provides penetrative and textured accounts of the multi-faceted nature of South African society. This publication is both a public snapshot and a more in-depth analysis of trends and public opinions. It makes a significant contribution to the critical debate around the challenges to, and prospects for, consolidating democracy in South Africa. Public Attitudes informs the debate on how to enhance the impetus towards sustained economic growth, and the fundamentals that underpin this.

Public opinion and attitude is often the yardstick against which interventions are made. This collection synthesises and analyses the results and findings of some key policy areas investigated and will provide all stakeholders in South Africa with a set of factual information and derivative analytic insights. Such a representation informs choices and decisions to be made, policy dimensions to be investigated further and research to be commissioned in areas where voids are conspicuous.

Furthermore the compilation has important tangential implications and policy overtones for the southern African region and the rest of the African sub-continent. It is envisaged that comparative insight and perspective will begin to grow in importance as efforts to implement the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) get off the ground, and it is recognised that a pivotal basis for doing this will be through comprehensive and rigorous national public audits on attitudes and trends on key issues.

• Introduction: Public Opinion and the prospects for democratic consolidation in South Africa 1999-2000 – Adam Habib
• Politics, governance and civic knowledge – John Daniel & Christian de Vos
• Political party preferences – Stephen Rule
• Provincial living preferences in South Africa – Ronnie Donaldson
• Identity and voting trends in South Africa – Maano Ramutsindela
• Race relations – Arlene Grossberg
• Addressing HIV/AIDS – Christian de Vos & Abigail Baim-Lance
• Spirituality in South Africa: Christian beliefs – Stephen Rule
• Perceptions about economic issues – Jarι Struwig
• National priorities – Mbithi wa Kivilu
• Environmental concerns – Craig Schwabe
• Civil society participation – Mbithi wa Kivilu
• Information and communications technologies – Zakes Langa
• Families and social networks – Craig Higson-Smith
• Human rights – Adam Habib & Christian de Vos
• Appendixes