Perceived causes of poverty of the post–apartheid generation in a higher education institution

Abstract

This study explores the perceptions of the causes of poverty of South Africa’s post apartheid generation at the North-West University’s Vaal Triangle Campus. The study uses a sample of 203 respondents aged 20 years or younger, from the campus two faculties (Economic Sciences and Information Technology, and Humanities). The main objective of the study is determining whether the post-apartheid generation perceives poverty as the result of fatalistic, individualistic or structural factors, as indicated by the Feagin scale. The secondary objective of the study was to determine whether demographic variables such as age, gender, home area and the faculty of study, along with socio-economic variables such as the employment status of the respondents’ parents, monthly expenses and the respondents’ lived poverty index influence perceptions of the causes of poverty.