Our recent surveys conducted in South Sudan reveal that communication practices, levels of trust, and misinformation are all contributing factors to the country’s ongoing conflict. The survey, which involved 1,808 respondents from Juba, Yei, Bor, Malakal, Bentiu, and Wau, highlights the importance of addressing these issues to promote peace and stability.
The survey respondents, evenly distributed between male (49.2%) and female (50.7%) participants, present an average age of 34 years and come from households with an average size of 8.3 people. A significant proportion of the respondents identify as Christian (93.0%), with a smaller representation of Muslims (5.4%) and those of other religions (1.6%). The ethnic composition is led by the Dinka (26.2%) and Nuer (22.1%) communities, with a rich mix of other groups, reflecting the country’s diverse cultural fabric. Language proficiency varies, with Dinka (23.8%) and Nuer (19.7%) being the most common first languages, followed by Kakwa and English. There is a critical challenge in education, as 25.8% of respondents have no formal education, and only 11.6% have reached the college or university level.
Trust in information is largely ethnocentric, with 46% of respondents highly trusting information from their ethnic group. In comparison, only 14% of respondents extend the same level of trust to information from other groups (see bar charts below). This trust disparity is compounded by a widespread belief that misinformation is a significant problem in South Sudan, with 86% of respondents affirming its prevalence (see bar charts below). Alarmingly,
41.4% admitted to passing on rumours about violent conflict without verification, reflecting the ease with which misinformation can spread.
The survey also reveals that rumours are a daily occurrence for 33.4% of respondents, with a majority (53.7%) believing that the frequency of rumours is increasing.
Radio emerges as the most trusted and utilized source of information, with 49% of respondents relying on it, followed by family and friends (7%), and voice calls (6%). Although only used by 11.3%, social media is crucial in information dissemination, especially among younger populations. While 82.4% of respondents own a mobile phone, only 53.2% regularly use the internet, indicating a digital divide that could influence information dissemination and access (see pie graph below).
The survey reveals a strong consensus among respondents about the critical need to address and verify rumours, with 70.8% emphasizing the importance of rumour verification and 50.3% considering it crucial to stop rumours altogether.
The data also highlights significant gaps in access to necessary information and tools, as nearly half of the respondents (49.1%) feel ill-equipped to discern the truth behind rumours.
Despite these challenges, there is a clear belief in the power of accurate information to foster peace, with 84.8% of respondents confident that the right resources could reduce conflict, and 83.5% seeing potential in early warning systems. Yet, the lack of adequate community resources for conflict reporting and help, acknowledged by 59.2% of respondents, underscores the need for more robust support systems to empower communities in navigating and mitigating conflict.
The survey findings also indicate a significant variation in how well-informed respondents feel about events at different geographical levels. While nearly half (43%) feel well-informed about happenings in their local community, this sense of awareness diminishes as the scope widens, with only 23% feeling well-informed about events in the rest of South Sudan. The speed at which information travels also reflects these gaps, with 59.2% hearing about local events within a day, but only 19.4% receiving news about national events as quickly. These information delays could have critical implications for timely responses to emerging issues. Despite these challenges, most respondents describe their local area as either very peaceful (29.1%) or moderately peaceful (61.5%), suggesting a relatively stable environment at the community level, even as awareness of broader regional or national events remains limited. This research will provide crucial insights into the information gaps, challenges, and underlying factors contributing to regional inter-communal tensions. Watch for the insights derived from this baseline survey and what it will mean for the Hagiga Wahid project.
Bar charts
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- Question 1
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- Question 2
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- Question 3
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- Question 4