Home SA citizens willing to sacrifice human rights in COVID-19 fight, study finds

SA citizens willing to sacrifice human rights in COVID-19 fight, study finds

A study conducted during the ongoing lockdown has found that many South Africans are willing to sacrifice their human rights on order to counter the spread of COVID-19.

The national government has come under fire following its regulations placed in response to the pandemic. Many critics of the new laws have termed the lockdown a violation of their human rights.

However, the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Centre for Social Change and Human Sciences Research Council’s (HSRC) Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES) division has conducted a survey, which found that the majority of the respondents do not mind sacrificing their human rights – if it means that government gets firm control of the coronavirus crisis.

Breakdown of the findings

The study was done in three phases, the first and second during hard lockdown, while the last began three days before the move to Level 4, ending four days into the first phased reopening of the economy.

A total of 12 312 people were surveyed, where 66% agreed with temporarily letting go of their rights, with 26% unwilling, while eight percent were undecided.

The respondents in the survey were chosen to represent the country’s demographics in terms of race, age and level of education, and it was found that the coloured population was more willing to sacrifice their rights, while it was the white population found to be least likely to do so.

Younger generation less willing to drop human rights

In terms of gender and age, it was the male respondents who less more willing to sacrifice their human rights, compared to women, while the youth was also less willing.

“Most importantly, the older people within our society [aged 55+], the drop has been drastic, from 80% [agreeing] in the first phase, to 51% in the third phase. So males and the elderly have begun to feel less willing to sacrifice their human rights,” Professor Narnia Bohler-Muller said during a virtual presentation of the findings on Thursday.

Professor Narnia Bohler-Muller

One of the more contentious regulations introduced along the lockdown has been the total ban on alcohol and tobacco sales, which was also touched on in the survey.

“As support for tobacco and alcohol sales increases, people become less willing to sacrifice their rights and obviously more insistent on exercising their freedoms,” she added.

Professor Narnia Bohler-Muller


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