When an organisation speaks on behalf of a community, whose reality does it describe? That of the people themselves, or the version that best suits its political campaign? This question has become urgent as allegations of persecution of white South Africans have become part of an international diplomatic dispute. Before describing an entire community as victims, we should at least listen to what its members say about their own lives.

Some people suffer disadvantage, experience injustice, and have good reason to be angry or afraid. Their experiences deserve attention. No majority's satisfaction cancels an individual's rights.

But the reverse also applies: individual grievances cannot simply be elevated into a description of an entire community's circumstances. The severity of an experience and its prevalence are two different things.

This is precisely where the persecution narrative needs to be tested. The Ipsos Khayabus survey, which feeds into the Inclusive Society Institute's South African Social Cohesion Index, provides an important insight into people's assessments of their circumstances.

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The latest edition of the index was published earlier this year. The survey involves more than 3,000 respondents, interviewed face-to-face in their homes and home languages. This gives us a much broader basis than selected personal testimonies.

Striking findings

Asked how their family lives compared with a year earlier, 79.30% of white respondents say their circumstances are better or about the same. Of these, 34.04% report improvement and 45.26% no substantial change. Almost four in five therefore report stability or progress. This is a striking finding against a portrayal of increasingly intolerable living conditions.

Expectations for the coming year are even stronger. Among white respondents, 82.71%...