Political culture and democracy: The South African case

Abstract

South Africa joined the 'third wave of democracy' in 1994, when the country conducted its first democratic elections. Since then, much debate about the extent of democratic consolidation has taken place. The present article analyses the possibilities for consolidation of South Africa's democracy in terms of the indicators of political culture most often associated with democratic consolidation: political tolerance and trust. The research consists of a longitudinal analysis that uses quantitative data gathered since 1994. Divergent conclusions are reached. On the one hand, political tolerance is increasingly visible among South Africans. On the other, trust in institutions--government--is decreasing.