The African National Congress remains the most popular party among voters with 47% support, according to the latest Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) survey published on Tuesday.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) seems on course to maintain its official opposition status with seven% of the electorate supporting the party, the HSRC said in a statement.

More voters, at three percent, expressed preference for the newly formed Congress of the People over the other old, established parties such as the Inkatha Freedom Party and the Independent Democrats with two percent and one percent respectively.

The data was gathered in mid-December 2008 as part of the 2008 round of the annual SA Social Attitudes Survey, conducted by the council since 2003.

The survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of 6613 South Africans comprising 58% female and 42% male participants - 60% blacks, 17% coloureds, 11% Indians/Asians and 13% whites.

More than half of the electorate in five provinces indicated they would vote for the ANC.

The party was most popular in Limpopo (79%) followed by
Mpumalanga (68%), North West (57%), Eastern Cape (55%), and the Free State (52%).

The Western Cape was evenly contested by the ANC and the DA with each getting 20%

In the other three provinces, Northern Cape, Gauteng and
KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC remained the most popular choice among the electorate.

Cope and the DA vied for second most popular party in the Eastern Cape, with both getting 4 percent support.

The DA had the edge over Cope and the rest of the opposition parties in Northern Cape (13%), Gauteng (10%), North West (seven percent) and in the Free State, where it was the second most popular party.

KwaZulu-Natal remained the IFP stronghold at nine percent.

National support for the ANC was particularly strong among women, at 50%, compared to 45% among men, and those with no schooling (63%), decreasing gradually with an increase in education levels.

Conversely, support for the DA and Cope increased with increases in education levels.

Blacks remained the core constituency for the ANC with 58% saying they would vote for the ruling party.

The DA had its support base among the whites (39%), coloureds
(21%) and Indians/Asians (eight percent).

Support for Cope was evenly spread across the race groups with four percent among whites, and three percent each among blacks, Indians/Asians and coloureds.

The ID had its strongest support among coloureds (five percent), and the IFP among blacks(two percent).

Of the total electorate, 12% indicated they would not vote,
13% were uncertain or did not know which party they would vote for, while 12% refused to answer.