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The report examines why young South Africans (18-24) engage with or withdraw from the democratic process, highlighting a significant gap in voter registration between 18-19 year olds (33%) and 20-29 year olds (64%). It argues that youth disengagement is not driven by apathy, but by frustration over socio-economic challenges, corruption, and a lack of trust in government responsiveness. While many view voting as important, a growing segment feels alienated from formal politics, leading to a decline in loyalty to the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and a shift toward alternative parties like the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) or non-electoral forms of protest.

The report presents findings from two survey rounds (2019 and 2021) involving over 11,000 citizens in 72 PDET municipalities. While general satisfaction with the Agreement's implementation increased from 36% in 2019 to 48% in 2021, the report identifies a 'story of contrasts.' Residents generally value the Agreement's content and specific tools like reincorporation and crop substitution, but perceive actual implementation as insufficient and unequal across subregions. Security conditions are viewed as deteriorating, and trust in ex-combatants remains very low, hindering reconciliation. The report emphasizes that tangible improvements in security, public works, and reparations are the primary drivers of satisfaction and trust in state institutions.

The research explores how young members of the Somali diaspora, specifically those born or raised in Norway and the United States, navigate their identities and civic participation. It challenges binary views of citizenship and integration, proposing 'multi-sited embeddedness' to describe how these individuals belong to and act within multiple communities simultaneously. The study finds that civic engagement is both a result of belonging and a tool used to claim inclusion in various national and local contexts.

The research identifies significant relational turbulence among South African peacekeepers returning from missions in the DRC, Darfur/Sudan, and Burundi. Key challenges include strained relationships with children, financial conflicts, and the struggle to renegotiate household boundaries within a patriarchal societal context. While soldiers receive institutional resilience training, their families often lack similar support, exacerbating the difficulty of reintegration.