Fortunately, Italian households are better capitalised, less exposed to the winds of finance and more dedicated to saving (ref. post "Ants, well-off, eroded and deprived: the photograph of Italians" of 1 July). On the other hand, those who have not decreased their propensity to consume despite having fewer resources (eroded: 7.4%) and especially those who have experienced a decrease in both economic resources and consumption (deprived: 35.0%), constituted a minority share, but a decidedly substantial one. But what are the prevailing consumption styles of the population? The opinions of the respondents are almost evenly divided when it comes to the type of consumption. On the one hand, a relative majority (53.7%) attributes a value of exclusivity to the objects purchased: people look for products owned by a few, which differentiate and, therefore, identify those who have them in the eyes of others. It is the need not to be mass-produced, it is the search for product customisation. Such a propensity is manifested, in particular, by the younger generations, those with medium-high educational qualifications, in employment and with a marked savings orientation. On the other hand, a minority but large group (46.3%) attributes a commonality value to the objects they own: they look for objects that friends and colleagues also own.
Consuming is a collective ritual, having a certain object is a way of perceiving that one belongs to a community, to a group. It is interesting to observe how this propensity lingers more among the older generations, rather than among the young: those who grew up in the expansive phase of consumption, where objects represented the achievement of economic improvement, the idea of belonging to well-off social groups. In addition to these two prevailing ways of interpreting objects of consumption, a change can be felt above all in its declination. Certainly, the crisis has a clear influence on behaviour: almost all (94.4%) buy mainly products they need, regardless of whether they are fashionable or not; nine-tenths (91.5%) of respondents say they pay a lot of attention to saving money when they shop; just over four out of five (82.5%) believe they buy objects rationally and not guided by instinct. Hence, a pragmatic, essential consumption style, little disposed to the superfluous. An orientation traceable - in these times - to sales with sales. Unlike in the past, a product at a reduced price is not necessarily bought for mere convenience, but is also carefully considered. One reason for this orientation stems from the greater weight given to quality in the choice. Almost four-fifths of the respondents (78.1%) attach decisive importance to this dimension: they prefer to own a few items, but of quality, rather than many, but without regard to their quality. The search for products with intrinsic value seems to be the prevailing and widespread criterion among the population.
