Eurispes Report 2024, the struggle to make ends meet and what it says about Italy

«Italy is at a crossroads in relation to the cultural, political and economic choices to be made. It takes courage. We will never tire of repeating that the first possible response lies in the “courage to have courage”” said the President ofEurispesGian Maria Fara, presenting the Italy report 2024.

Money

Comparing the results with previous Eurispes findings, compared to last year, a slight improvement emerges in some indicators of the economic situation of Italian families. However, there remains a part of the population that finds itself having to face difficult situations such as not being able to make ends meet without major difficulties (57.4%). Bills (33.1%), rent (45.5%) and mortgage payments (32.1%) are also a problem for many families.

The prices of consumer goods are increasing according to the opinion of 83% of Italians and this trend forces them to find ways to make ends meet. Help is asked above all from the family of origin (32.1%) and installment purchasing is used a lot (42.7%), some services such as tutoring, babysitting, etc. are paid illegally. (33.6%) and almost 3 out of 10 Italians give up dental treatments/interventions or medical check-ups.

The majority of Italians (55.5%) believe that the country's economic situation has worsened over the last year, for 18.6% the situation remained stable, while only one Italian in ten (10%) indicated signs of improvement. 15.6% did not know or did not want to provide any answer. Looking to the future, citizens are instead cautious: for 33.2% the Italian economic situation will remain stable in the next twelve months. Pessimists, who expect a worsening, are 31.6%, while 10.8% expect a period of economic growth. However, 40.9% of citizens state that their personal and family economic situation has remained stable in the last 12 months. Although with varying intensity, overall 35.4% of Italians report a worsening of their economic condition, while 14.2% speak of an improvement.

Just over one in four manages to save (28.3%), 36.8% draws on savings to make ends meet.

In economic difficulties some have resorted to the support of friends, colleagues and other relatives (17.2%); 16% requested a bank loan, while 13.6% had to borrow money from private individuals (not friends or relatives) with the danger of slipping into the trap of usury. Online sales of goods and objects are widespread (27.5%). 37.6% of Italians had to give up a babysitter and 24.3% a carer. 15.3% had to sell or lost assets such as their home or business/business.

A lot of people buy in installments (42.7%), often on zero-interest online platforms (21.3%). 14.6% rented clothes and accessories for parties or ceremonies, and 11.7% returned to live at home with their family of origin. Since meeting medical expenses causes difficulty in 28.3% of cases, the sacrifices also affect health and there is no need for specialist visits for specific disorders or pathologies (23.1%), medical therapies/interventions (17 .3%), to the purchase of medicines (15.9%).

Politics

Citizens' trust is growing again but it is expressed, with over half of the consensus, in particular only for some institutions: the President of the Republic, the Law Enforcement and Police Forces, the Armed Forces and Intelligence. Alongside these: the Church, the School, the Healthcare, the Civil Protection and the voluntary associations. The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, gathers broad consensus in terms of trust expressed by citizens towards him (60.8%; + 8.6% compared to 2023).

Parliament records a slight increase in trust (from 30% in 2023 to 33.6% in 2024), but disappointed citizens remain the majority (58%). Citizens are divided on their opinion of the judiciary: 47% say they are confident compared to 44% of those who have no confidence and the Regional Presidents (appreciated by 41.2% and “failed” in 47.4% of cases).

Just over a third of Italians express consensus towards the Government (36.2%), but the disheartened remain the majority (55.4%).

In 2024, we find the Carabinieri very high up in the ranking of the police forces which, reaching 68.8% of the consensus granted by the Italians, recovers, compared to 2023, by 16 percentage points and returns to better results. close to those of 2019 and 2020. The Financial Police is also growing: from 55.1% of the consensus in 2023 to 66.1% in 2024 (+10%). Similarly, the State Police obtained 10.7% more votes, going from 52.8% in 2023 to 63.5% in 2024.

Among the other institutions, public and private, that increase in the level of trust from one year to the next we find: the Catholic Church (52.1%), the School (66%), the Health System (58.3%). Confidence in consumer associations increases (from 46% to 48.1%) without however reaching half of the positive opinions as is the case for the public administration (from 39.6% to 44.4%) and for entrepreneurs' associations (from 39% to 46%). The most decisive leap forward was recorded for Civil Protection with 78.5% (69.9% in 2023). Also interesting is the result obtained by the University (from 64.9% to 71.8%), and by the Associations operating in Volunteering (from 60.6% to 68.7%).

There are only three institutions that suffer a drop in consensus compared to 2023: the parties which go from a trust of 32.5% to 29.8%, the trade unions which decrease slightly from 43.1% to 42.7% and the other religious confessions other than Catholic (from 38% to 34.5%).

72.6% of respondents believe “little” or “not at all” that this Government will be able to restore public finances (they were 77.2% in 2023); to protect the country from international terrorism (59.1%, the disheartened were 65.8% in 2023), to combat petty crime (61.8%, they were 65% last year) or organized crime (62, 1% compared to 66.4% in 2023). The majority (64.9%; -3.5% compared to the previous survey) does not believe that this Government will be able to revive consumption, or manage the immigration crisis (68.3%; -2.6%) .

Strait Bridge and Citizenship Income

60.4% of respondents are against the construction of the Bridge over the Strait of Messina. The majority of Italians also say they are against the reintroduction of Citizenship Income (61.2%) and the extension of the Superbonus for construction (58.5%). 52.7% of the sample is against the idea of ​​setting a speed limit of 30 km/h within urban centres, while 64.6% declare themselves in favor of introducing financial education at school.

Artificial intelligence

33.9% of Italians have a vague idea of ​​what Artificial Intelligence is and a similar share claims to know nothing (31.9%). Among the most informed, those who say they know enough (25%) prevail, while only one in ten declares they are very informed on the topic (9.2%). The majority of those who declared that they know Artificial Intelligence to some extent, however, say they have never tried it (53.9%). The opinion on AI is generally positive (65.8%), the idea prevails that it is a controllable technology (54.1%) even if dangerous (57.4%) and that it will replace humans (54.2 %). Less shared is the opinion that we will regret having created it (47.6%). Those who tried to use AI did so driven by curiosity to see how it worked (72.4%) and for leisure/gaming reasons (63.7%). 46% used it for work and 41.5% for study purposes.

Judgments on social media are instead severe: they favor the spread of fake news (78.3%); they fuel cyberbullying (73.3%), they spread wrong behavior models (72.3%); they favor the expression of aggression and verbal violence (69.5%); 66.1% are convinced that they damage social life.

Approximately one interviewee in five has been the victim of aggression or insults on social media/online (21.3%) and of IT scams (20.7%); 18% have had their privacy violated; slightly fewer are the victims of false identity deception (17.7%); 14.9% have suffered identity theft; 14% cyber stalking and 8.1% were victims of revenge porn.

Rights

In 2024, 66.7% of citizens are in favor of euthanasia65.3% approve euthanasia in the case of senile dementia, if indicated by the subject in their advance directives, 78.4% support the need to be able to adhere to a living will, while assisted suicide gathers 47.8% of those in favor.

On the maternity front, heterologous fertilization is widely supported as a medical practice (60%), while the possibility of resorting to the so-called “rented womb” is found in a decidedly lower percentage of Italians (37.1%)the same happens for the artificial womb hypothesis (39.9%).

Regarding the expansion of civil rights, the possibility of contracting same-sex marriage 64.5% of Italians are in favour, and to an even greater extent (69.3%) agree with the legal protection of de facto couples regardless of sex.

The adoption of children even for homosexual couples continues to be not entirely shared (54.5%), although over time the favorable positions have significantly increased over the years (+23.4% compared to 2019). Adoption also for singles, compared to the same possibility for homosexuals, finds a greater approval rating (61.5%). The recognition of children of same-sex couples (adoption of the partner's child or of children born with heterologous fertilization or with gestation for others, permitted abroad) sees Italians in favor in 58.4% of cases.

With respect to the possibility of authorizing the change of sex through self-declaration by the interested party, even without medical certifications, only four out of ten Italians agree (40.7%). On the recognition of gender identities that are not reflected in the feminine or masculine, consensus exceeds half of the indications (53.5%). Finally, the legalization of soft drugs and prostitution are a distant idea for the majority of citizens (those in favor, in both cases, do not exceed half of the sample).

Animals

In almost one in four homes in Italy we find at least one pet (37.3%; +4.6% compared to 2023). Just over 4 out of 10 Italians who welcome an animal own a dog (41.8%) and almost 4 out of 10 have a cat (37.7%). 20.3% of those who have an animal with them spend less than 30 euros a month on its care and maintenance. Around 60% of Italians, however, spend more than 30 euros per month and within 100 euros. From 2015 to today, the percentage of those who manage to spend less than 30 euros a month and between 30 and 50 euros has significantly decreased.

Pets are mostly rescued from the street or chosen from a kennel/cat shelter/similar (39.7%), but in one case out of four (25%) it was a purchase from a shop or cattery, while in one out of five a gift (20.8%).