Attentive to the events of national politics, more so than one might think. Multi-channel users of information, but opinion is formed mainly through the traditional media, namely newspapers. This is how the prevailing behaviour of Italians in keeping up to date with political events could be summarised a few days before the elections. The election campaign and related initiatives inevitably push people towards a greater interest in the parties' offerings, the leaders' proposals and their programmes. For several weeks now we have been immersed, and often overwhelmed, by communiqués, stances, interviews and television appearances. With candidates ready to make statements on the sensational events of the day, but much less so on issues of perspective for the country (economy, jobs, infrastructure, demographics). It is practically impossible not to come into contact with them. Nevertheless, the willingness to understand and untangle the convoluted vicissitudes of politics is significantly high among the population.
As the latest survey by Community Media Research shows, more than a third of Italians (37.1%) are constantly informed about what is happening in the political arena, to which is added the 41.9% who follow, albeit more generally: to some extent, they tend their ear, they are attentive, albeit in a more detached manner. In any case, overall, almost four fifths of Italians (79.0%) declare an involvement in political and electoral issues. With some differences in orientation: the most attentive categories are mainly males, adults compared to young people (although even among these the prevalence generally follows political facts), those who are more educated and above all those who are determined to go out and vote.
Then comes the 16.0% whose attention is more discontinuous: the political debate is like background noise, which gets mixed up with other topics, but does not attract them. Finally, a marginal share (5.0%) declares that they have no time to keep up to date or are totally disinterested in the topic. Therefore, Italians - albeit to varying degrees - pay more attention to political issues than the usual representations. But in the age of new technological tools of communication, how and by what means do they inform themselves and then create opinions on these issues? The two aspects (information and opinion) are not identical: while the former is of more immediate use, the latter requires time and space to settle. The results, in fact, demonstrate the existence of differentiated behaviour.
First of all, there is no single privileged channel, but a plurality of sources compete for supremacy, almost in equal measure: the Internet (26.5%, but not social media, which stop at 14.9%), TV (24.8%) and newspapers (22.7%). Italians mix information tools, demonstrating a proactive attitude, not content to favour one over another.
Secondly, if we group the types of sources together, we find that the Old Media (newspapers, TV, radio: 53.5 per cent) collectively still hold the upper hand over the New Media (the internet, social media: 41.4 per cent) as sources for political news. There are, however, some significant differences: adults (aged over 45) and those determined to vote are more inclined towards Old Media, whilst younger people (aged up to 44), students, those disillusioned with politics and those undecided about how to vote favour New Media. Very few, however, rely on social networks (associations, family, colleagues: 5.1 per cent) to obtain news about politics.
Thirdly, the outcome changes if we look at how Italians form their opinions. The previous three-way split shifts the weighting of each factor, and a fourth factor is added. Newspapers take the lead (25.6 per cent), increasing their influence, followed by the internet (22.4 per cent, which loses slightly in influence) and television (18.2 per cent, also down). By contrast, the role of family and friends (13.8 per cent) is growing significantly, as these provide greater opportunities for dialogue and discussion. Thus, overall, the ‘Old Media’ lose slightly in influence (49.6 per cent), but remain firmly the primary source of information, with newspapers at the top of the rankings, particularly amongst older adults (aged over 45). New media (29.3 per cent, and notably social media), on the other hand, are losing importance, albeit to a lesser extent amongst young people, students and undecided voters. Conversely, social networks have significantly increased their influence (21.1 per cent) in helping to shape opinions (particularly those of family and friends), especially amongst younger people. Therefore, information and opinions follow complementary yet distinct paths, even amongst different sections of the population. There are two paradoxical surprises. On the one hand, the decline in the circulation of daily newspapers – replaced by the speed of online news – is not matched by a loss in their ability to shape opinions. Indeed, they remain the leading influence. Conversely, the pervasiveness of social media – now cited as a reference point by the media themselves – as a communication tool actually carries a weight that is inversely proportional to its influence in shaping opinions. Rather, it is the internet in general – and for this reason even less definable – that plays an important role.
The approaching national election deadline on 4 March makes the topic of information even hotter, particularly in Italy. Not only are political actors particularly sensitive to television appearances, regulated by legislation to the point of paroxysm, but also the population follows political events with increased interest. Information and opinions tread integrated, but dissimilar paths. It is opinions, however, that guide choices: and to mature, they need contexts in which to exercise themselves, in relation to others. How to create an opinion, in the pervasive information society, is the educational challenge of the future.
Methodological note
Community Media Research, in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo for La Stampa, is carrying out the LaST (Laboratory on Society and Territory) Survey, which was conducted nationwide from 9 to 22 January 2018 on a representative sample of the population resident in Italy, aged over 18. The methodological aspects and the survey were taken care of by the Questlab company. The total number of respondents was 1,482 (out of 13,384 contacts). The data analysis was reproportioned on the basis of gender, territory, age group, occupational status and educational qualification. The margin of error is +/-2.5%. The survey was carried out with a visual survey through the main social networks and with a random sample that could be reached with the CAWI and CATI systems. Full document on www.agcom.it
