The Social Research Foundation’s October 2026 Market Survey, carried out with The Common Sense, found that 66% of South African voters agreed that China contributes more investment and jobs to the national economy than the United States does. Just 21% disagreed. The finding lands squarely in the middle of a standing policy debate over the country’s economic partnerships and the balance of foreign engagement.
The poll was a national telephone survey of 3 100 registered voters, fielded between 18 September and 12 October 2026, with results weighted to the registered voter population. It carries a design effect of 3.3044. The Common Sense first reported the findings, publishing the question wording and a breakdown of responses by population group alongside charts.
Additional reference context is available at https://www.thecommonsense.co.za/polls/most-voters-say-china-brings-more-investment-jobs-south.
For policymakers weighing the direction of trade and investment policy, the numbers matter because they measure public assessment of the two powers’ economic role. Agreement with the proposition crossed every population group for which results were reported.
The breakdown is consistent across the board. Among black voters, 64% agreed that China contributes more investment and jobs than the US, with 20% disagreeing. Coloured voters showed the highest level of agreement of any group reported, at 71%. Among white voters, 65% agreed. In each case, agreement stood well ahead of disagreement among all voters overall.
The question placed the two countries in direct comparison, asking voters whether they agreed that China contributes more investment and jobs to the South African economy than the United States does. That framing makes the results a read on public perception of relative economic benefit rather than an assessment of either country’s performance in isolation.
Meanwhile, the fieldwork window itself matters. The October 2026 dates mean the findings capture voter opinion in that specific month, drawn from a sample weighted to reflect the registered voter population. The full polling report, including the chart showing how voters and each population group answered, is available through The Common Sense, which published the results with the Social Research Foundation.
Whether this public assessment of China’s economic weight shifts as trade and investment decisions come before government remains the open question for those tracking the policy debate.