Factors Contributing to Extreme Polarization of the Society in South Africa

Abstract

Purpose: The study sought to analyze the factors contributing to extreme polarization of the society in South Africa Methodology: The study adopted a desktop methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The results show that polarization is strongly path dependent and sensitive to stochastic variation. Second, polarization depends strongly on the initial distribution of opinions in the population. In the absence of extremists, polarization may be mitigated. Noisy communication can drive a population toward more extreme opinions and even cause acute polarization. Finally, the apparent reduction in polarization under increased cultural complexity arises via a particular property of the polarization measurement, under which a population containing a wider diversity of extreme views is deemed less polarized. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The social comparison theory and Robert Tallisie theory may be used to anchor future studies in the political sector. The study results will also benefit other stakeholders such as the policy makers as well as researchers and scholars from different parts of the world. The top management of politics in the country will also use the study findings to improve the society and ensure high and stable performance in all their activities and programs. The study recommends that the adoption of effective social protection development policies in the society will help to improve efficiency in their major operations and activities. This work has implications for understanding the population dynamics of beliefs opinions and polarization as well as broader implications for the analysis of agent-based models of social phenomena.