This survey was conducted less than a year after the 2024 election in which the African National Congress (ANC) lost a majority of seats for the first time since the end of apartheid. At the time of fielding, the country was facing persistent failed budget negotiations between the ANC and the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in the governing coalition.
Key findings
- As of early 2025, the governing African National Congress (ANC) had the highest favorability of any political party asked about in the country, and its leader Cyril Ramaphosa was the most popular among the major party leaders we asked about.
- Views of the ANC and Ramaphosa improved between 2024 and 2025. During that period, the ANC lost its majority government for the first time since the end of apartheid.
- Assessments of South Africa’s economy (and democracy) also improved since the election, though relatively few South Africans rated either positively earlier this year.
South Africans’ views of their parties and leaders in spring 2025
Even after the ANC performed relatively weakly in the 2024 election and had to form a coalition government, it still tested as the most popular political party in South Africa in early 2025.
Nearly two-thirds of South Africans (63%) expressed a favorable opinion of the ANC in early spring 2025.
By comparison, around half or fewer of adults said the same about the Democratic Alliance (48%), the Economic Freedom Fighters (45%) or the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (43%).
(The Democratic Alliance is part of the governing coalition.)
President Cyril Ramaphosa, the ANC’s leader, was also the most popular of the major party leaders in the survey, with 63% of South Africans expressing a favorable view of him and just 36% sharing a negative view.
Opinions are less favorable for the leaders of other parties:
- John Steenhuisen, leader of the center-right DA party, was viewed favorably by 41% of South Africans – the lowest favorability of any party leader despite his party’s presence in the governing coalition. About one-in-five adults did not provide an answer for Steenhuisen.
- Around half of adults had a favorable view of Julius Malema, the leader of the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters.
- Jacob Zuma, the controversial former ANC president who founded the left-wing uMkhonto weSizwe Party to contest the 2024 election, was viewed favorably by 52% of South Africans. More viewed him than his party (43%) positively.
Views by age
Age differences appear in support for national leaders. Younger adults were more likely to support certain party leaders:
- 56% of South Africans under 35 had a favorable view of Julius Malema, compared with 34% among those ages 50 and older.
- 58% of younger South Africans had a favorable view of Jacob Zuma, compared with 41% of older South Africans.
Change in views of parties and leaders since the 2024 election
Public opinion of the ANC rebounded in early 2025 following the 2024 general election. Nearly two-thirds of South Africans (63%) expressed a favorable view of the party, while 35% shared an unfavorable opinion.
This marks a turnaround from recent years, when support for the ANC steadily declined. Favorability fell from 67% in 2019 to 54% in 2023 and 45% in 2024. In fact, 2024 was the first year since we began asking the question that the party was not seen favorably by a majority of adults.
(The 2024 survey was conducted several weeks prior to the election.)
The 2024 election was the party’s weakest electoral performance since the end of apartheid, and the first time that the ANC has not held an absolute majority since coming to power more than 30 years ago.
Public opinion of President Cyril Ramphosa also improved in recent years. Nearly two-thirds of South Africans (63%) expressed a favorable opinion of the ANC’s leader in this year’s survey, while around a third (36%) viewed him unfavorably.
This represents a moderate increase from 2023, when 53% of South Africans held a favorable view of Ramaphosa and 45% expressed an unfavorable opinion.
South Africans’ views of their economy
Optimism about South Africa’s economy also increased following the 2024 election but remains low. In February and March of this year, 35% of adults said the economic situation in the country was good, up from 27% in 2024 and 22% in 2023. But in surveys from 2013 to 2015, roughly half or more rated the economy positively.
South Africa has received recent international attention due to persistent economic challenges, including increasing inflation and stagnant growth. The growing dissatisfaction with the economy over the last decade also tracks with rising national unemployment. (Notably, as unemployment spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to survey in the country due to health safety concerns.)
In 2025, public sentiment turned somewhat more optimistic, with more South Africans saying the economic situation is good than in 2024. This change could reflect a post-election bump, as indicators point to ongoing economic challenges, though the country faced stalled budget negotiations at the time of the survey. The positive ratings seen early in the year were more common among adults under 35 (38%) than among those ages 50 and older (28%).
