South Africans' Economic Beliefs

TENTATIVE CONCLUSIONS

The data demonstrates a paradox between what people say and what they, in fact, believe. In answer to a theoretical question about the role of the government in the economy people are likely to answer that the government should play a very direct role in directing economic activity. But in response to almost any practical question of what the state should in practice direct, people are likely to say that it should play a very minimal role. This is a terribly important and poorly understood phenomenon in social research. People are likely to say at a theoretical or superficial level what mainstream opinion in society has conditioned them to answer. But when the theoretical realm is shifted to the practical those same respondents reveal not only different but in fact diametrically opposed opinions. Shallow social research exercises often fail to reveal this distinction with the effect that policy makers and political leaders are often disappointed to learn that ideas and policies that appeared to them popular when cast in theoretical terms to voters delivered deeply negative political returns when translated into practice.