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Articles by Mari Harris
Half of young voters say no party represents their views - Ipsos
Political parties face an uphill battle winning over South Africa’s youngest voters 3 November 2026 Ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections, many young South Africans appear disconnected from the political system. Young South Africans have attracted significant attention in the run-up to the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE2026), with considerable focus on youth voter registrations and participation.
Young South Africans see election day as just another day
For millions of young South Africans, election day has quietly become a day like any other. They register in smaller numbers than their parents. They trust the institutions running the vote less. And many have concluded that casting a ballot changes nothing in their daily lives. As parties fan out across the country ahead of the local government elections on 4 November, the largest bloc of eligible voters may be the one no party can campaign for: the No Vote party.
What voters say ahead of LGE 2026 - Ipsos
IPSOS SOUTH AFRICA, JOHANNESBURG: 4 SEPTEMBER 2026 Key metros remain battlegrounds ahead of the November Local Government Elections Two months before South Africans head to the polls to elect new local governments, Ipsos research suggests that electoral outcomes remain far from settled, with significant numbers of registered voters still available to be persuaded. The political landscape remains highly competitive.
ANC at 30%, DA at 28% as SA heads into coalition territory - Ipsos
Nationally, no party commands strong majority support as South Africa heads into coalition territory ahead of the November Local Government Elections ANC support is at an all-time low, yet the party is still likely to emerge as South Africa’s largest party. 30 October 2026 Since 1994, the political scene in South Africa was undoubtedly dominated by the ANC. The party dominated Parliament, national, provincial and most of the local governments in the country for most of the democratic era.
Election day — What DA will have to do to attract Black African voters
For the past 15 years, the South African economy has stagnated while the population has been growing. This has resulted in the people becoming poorer with every passing year. The people, understandably, blame their increasing impoverishment on the policies of the government of the day, the African National Congress (ANC). This is reflected in national voters’ decisions since 2004. The highest vote for the ANC peaked in 2004 (69.8%) and started declining slowly in subsequent elections.
[Webinar] KEYS: Global Trends - The Uneasy Decade
The 2020s are shaping up to be defined by persistent tensions. And with a sharp increase in geopolitical uncertainties, the rapid mainstreaming of AI, and societies re-configurating, this year it feels that change is intensifying. The retreat from the global order that dominated the world since 1945 is unfolding even more rapidly than expected. Those rapid advances in technological power are creating a double-headed sword of innovation and apprehension.
MARI HARRIS: The inner workings of opinion polls
Initial phases of election have dampened hopes of a huge majority for India’s Bharatiya Janata Party, analysts say
African sentiment is favouring Ukraine
Ipsos, one of the largest market research companies in the world, polled Africans on the ongoing Russia/Ukraine war and their attitude to it By Mari Harris Ahead of the African Peace Initiative visit to Kyiv and Moscow, the upcoming Russia/Africa meetings in St. Petersburg and the BRICS Summit in South Africa in August, international research company Ipsos polled African citizens on their attitudes towards Russia, Ukraine and the controversial position on the war taken by some African...
RIGHT OF REPLY: The purpose of polling and whether ‘the ANC is doing as badly as the Ipsos poll suggests’
The above-mentioned article said that “South Africa is abominably served by its polling”. As a responsible corporate citizen and one of the leading market and opinion research companies in the country (and the world) Ipsos does object to this gross generalisation. The most important role of polling in a free society is to provide information to the public on how other people — like them — think and feel about important issues.
I learned how to share control with my kids in an unlikely way: a shopping app
Before becoming a parent, I was adamant that my children would only have the best: they'd play with handcrafted wooden toys, they'd never see a screen, wear branded clothing, or have dirty faces. We’d play outside wearing white linen, munching on organic kale that we harvested from our own garden. Spoiler alert: it turns out motherhood isn’t picture-perfect. At least not for me. Seven years and three kids later, my naive expectations seem laughable.
ANALYSIS | Mari Harris: Age, gender and race: What do the main parties' supporters look like? | News24
The writer has broken down the profiles of each of the main parties' supporters ahead of the municipal elections. Gallo Images/Misha Jordaan Different political parties appeal to different "audiences", but these features are not stagnant, and over time, it is possible to see a shift in the support bases of parties. Ipsos director Mari Harris analyses the demographic support bases of the three biggest political parties in South Africa - the ANC, DA and EFF.
Ipsos Poll: Voters uncertain pre-2019
Indications from public opinion surveys show that this support can be even lower and in May 2017 less than half (47%) of South Africans indicated that they would vote for the ANC, if there were an election the next day. This figure should, however, not be regarded as a prediction of the 2019 General Election – it is simply too long before the time to start making predictions.
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