Maverick Citizen Op-Ed: Human rights sacrifices during the pandemic: Who and Why?

Taken together, these socio-demographic, spatial and political differences are leading to polarisation in attitudes, with deep societal fault-lines beginning to emerge on this important issue.Negative emotional experiences during the lockdown influenced attitudes towards human rights. Experiences of anger and sadness diminished public readiness to have freedoms curtailed. As people became more frustrated and distressed by the Covid-19 lockdown, their commitment to the common good wavered.

Attitudes towards rights show a tendency to affect compliance with regulations to prevent the spread of the virus, illustrating the important behavioural impact of these views. For example, 75% of the survey participants who were willing to sacrifice their rights reported always wearing a face mask when in public compared to 64% of those who were unwilling to sacrifice their rights.

Only about a third were willing to temporarily suspend the right to work or attend school or university . A similar share believed that the right to privacy could be limited, while around a fifth felt that their right to protest could be limited. There was a significant class divide here with better-off South Africans more prepared to sacrifice their freedom to gather for worship as well as their right to privacy than their poorer counterparts.

Benjamin Roberts is a Chief Research Specialist and Co-ordinator of the South African Social Attitudes Survey in the Developmental, Capable and Ethical State research division HSRC,

South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Maverick Citizen Op-Ed: Top African jurists rally to support Zimbabwean human rights lawyer Beatrice MtetwaIn an unprecedented show of solidarity and defence of the rule of law in Zimbabwe, Justice Willy Mutunga, Chief Justice of Kenya between 2013-2017, has joined a group of more than 65 civil society leaders from Africa to protest against the unfair treatment that prominent human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa has suffered.
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »

Maverick Citizen Op-Ed: Activists call on MPs to stop the violation of the rights of print-disabled people and approve the Copyright Amendment BillPresident Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to send back two amendment bills for parliamentary review is another delay in the 10-year process to address the urgent need for long overdue copyright reform that will enable access to learning materials for all.
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »

Maverick Citizen Op-Ed: ‘If we fail to act, Covid-19 will undermine the health of women and children around the world’Thirty years ago, children were not considered a priority in the AIDS crisis, despite the fact that children were contracting HIV and dying from AIDS. Children were excluded from key research and clinical trials and were seen as an afterthought. It is imperative that we learn from these mistakes as we deal with the impact of Covid-19 on children right now.
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »

Coronavirus reinfection: What it actually means and why you shouldn't panicPeople are worried what reinfection could mean for our chances of resolving the pandemic. Here’s why they shouldn’t worry.
Source: eNCA - 🏆 49. / 51 Read more »

MAVERICK CITIZEN: What to do with field hospitals as Covid-19 numbers declineProvinces across South Africa established field hospitals to cope with the surge of Covid-19 patients but with an excess of beds, some provinces are now dismantling their facilities while others retain them, fearing a surge in infections.
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »

German economy contracts 9.7% in pandemic-hit second quarterGerman central bank expects household spending to drive a strong recovery in the third quarter as savings almost double during pandemic
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »