The gap between rich and poor: South African society’s biggest divide depends on where you think you fit in

Abstract

In this paper we consider social cohesion primarily in terms of its absence – “the nature and extent of social and economic divisions within society” (Easterly et al., 2006: 105). We use data from the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation’s South African Reconciliation Barometer (SARB) to advance an understanding of what underpins individual perceptions of inequality as the biggest division in South Africa. In particular, our interest is in the relationship between perceived relative standing and registering the gap between rich and poor as the greatest divide in South Africa.