Perceptions of Peace in South Sudan: Longitudinal Findings

Authors: David Deng, Sophia Dawkins, Christopher Oringa and Jan Pospisil

This report presents findings about South Sudanese citizens’ perceptions of peace from a survey in 2021-2022. The three-wave survey recorded the views of 8,843 people from 12 counties across 9 states and special administrative areas, covering urban, rural and IDP camp environments. Respondents were asked questions about their daily experiences of safety, based on indicators of ‘everyday peace’ developed through focus groups. They also shared their views on a wide range of related topics, including elections, governance arrangements, security arrangements, trust in public authorities, civic space, national identity, and social cohesion, among others. The positive trend in overall perceptions of safety from 2021 to 2022 underlines the importance of sustaining the political transition. Recommendations for policymakers are presented in detail.

This report was published by Detcro, the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and PeaceRep: The Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform.

Briefing papers for this report: