Consumer insight company Pondering Panda interviewed 5,314 South African pupils, teachers, and family members between the ages of 13 and 34 across South Africa. The survey, which is repeated at regular intervals, found that bullying is indeed becoming more and more prevalent. Last year only 28% of respondents said they considered bullying a problem. Other major issues this year included having too many children in a class (32%), parents not getting involved enough (31%), and a lack of decent toilets (30%).
Opinion on how big a problem bullying in schools is differed according to age. Bullying was a greater cause for concern among younger respondents, with 40% of 13 to 14 year olds identifying bullying as a big problem in their schools, compared to 32% of 15 to 17 year olds. Both genders were equally affected.
Amongst race groups, black South Africans were less likely to see bullying as a major issue than other race groups. 34% of black respondents felt bullying was one of the most significant problems facing their schools, compared to 41% of whites and 43% of coloureds.
In terms of regional differences, the provinces most likely to identify bullying as a major concern were the Western Cape (44%), the North West (41%), and Gauteng (40%). While bullying was seen as a significant problem across all nine provinces, having too many learners in a class was viewed as the biggest problem in Kwa-Zulu Natal (36%), while not having enough decent toilets and the poor condition of school buildings and grounds were seen as the biggest problems in both the Eastern Cape and Limpopo.
All interviews were carried out on mobile phones between 22 and 27 of October and between 22 and 27 November this year across South Africa, excluding deep rural areas. Responses were weighted to be nationally representative in terms of age, gender and race. Pondering Panda conducts surveys via mobile phones on the Mxit social network through an interactive app.
