It’s moving a little, but so slowly that it almost seems to be standing still. This is the social mobility of Italians. The fact that this is not merely a perception is borne out by the latest Istat report on the country.
The characteristics attributed to us – those stemming from our origins – still play a decisive role today in shaping our life, educational and career paths. Fewer than one-fifth (18.5 per cent) of those starting from the lowest rungs of the social ladder go on to obtain a degree, and an even smaller proportion (14.8 per cent) go on to hold a skilled job. This is despite a fluid and highly flexible society, and despite the many opportunities offered by new technologies in terms of employment and innovation. Indeed, precisely because of this new competitive context characterised by an era of radical change, traditional inequalities are once again taking on significant importance. This is because those with limited family resources and social networks, in the absence of a stable and structured social infrastructure, face greater obstacles along their paths. To put it another way, if a young person does not have a family behind them with significant financial and social resources, they will struggle greatly to undertake lengthy educational programmes and invest in professional development opportunities (master’s degrees, Erasmus, periods abroad, etc.). Since we have few tools and policies aimed at redistributing opportunities – and those that do work have limited resources – the only (social) springboard remains the family of origin, with its material and intangible assets. And it is the social and economic context that forms the backdrop against which individuals operate and find social capital they can draw upon.
One need only consider what happens if, unfortunately, one loses one’s job or is looking for work: in the absence of effective active labour market policies, outplacement services and income support, and given the lack of a national system for lifelong learning, the burden falls almost entirely on individuals and families. It depends on their ability to cope and identify new opportunities. Any figures? In Italy, only 4 per cent (Eurostat) of the matching of labour supply and demand is carried out by public employment centres (CPI). For the rest, it relies on word of mouth and independent job searches through family connections. Six per cent of the working-age population (aged 25–64) are enrolled in a training or reskilling programme, whilst the European average stands at 10.5 per cent (Istat, Eurostat). Consequently, given the need for a ‘do-it-yourself’ approach, those with the right tools enjoy a significant competitive advantage. Conversely, the future outlook appears uncertain. In this sense, therefore, social mobility – compared with previous decades – appears to have essentially ground to a halt. The latest survey by Community Media Research sought to ascertain the population’s perception of their current position within the social hierarchy and how this compares with a few years ago. Furthermore, a comparison with a similar survey carried out in 2016 provides an even clearer picture of whether we are witnessing phenomena of social mobility or social immobility.
Overall, more than two-thirds of the population (70.3 per cent) currently place themselves in the lower or lower-middle social class, whilst the remaining 29.7 per cent place themselves in the highest tier of the social hierarchy. Looking back five years, 58.4 per cent of the same respondents placed themselves in the lower social strata, whilst 41.6 per cent placed themselves in the upper strata. Thus, over the course of five years, a considerable proportion of Italians believe they have experienced a decline in social status. This does not necessarily mean a reduction in income alone, but may result from having to forego opportunities or from the erosion of savings or assets in order to maintain the same standard of living. As always, the average figure masks varied situations which, in our country, result in a regional divide that has few equals in Europe. Thus, whilst in the North an average of 64.3 per cent of residents are in the lower and lower-middle classes, the figure is 74.4 per cent for those living in the Centre-South (with the South reaching 76.1 per cent).
By comparing people’s self-assessments across the two periods, it is possible to gauge Italians’ perception of social mobility – in other words, how and whether the ‘social ladder’ works. The results reveal a country that is largely at a standstill. For almost three-quarters of Italians (71.8 per cent), the social ladder remains stuck on the same rung: during the period examined (2013–18), they experienced only horizontal mobility. By contrast, for one-fifth (21.4%), the social ladder has moved downwards. This downward movement affects most those with a low level of education (31.3 per cent), those belonging to a lower social class (51.7 per cent), the unemployed (32.8 per cent) or the self-employed (32.8 per cent). Above all, it affects those living in the South (24.1 per cent). Very few (6.8 per cent) experienced upward social mobility, and almost exclusively those belonging to the upper-middle class (30.0 per cent). A comparison with the findings from 2016 reveals that, in reality, the social mobility ‘elevator’ has (slowly) moved. In the sense that the downward trajectory now affects a smaller proportion of people (21.4%) than in 2016 (34.3%). However, this has not led to an increase in the number of people moving up the ladder (6.8%, compared with 3.6% in 2016); rather, there has been an increase in the number of people who have remained at the same level: 71.8%, compared with 62.1% in 2016.
Whilst Italy’s GDP is growing slowly, social mobility is not following the same trend: the number of people moving down the social ladder is indeed lower than it was a few years ago, but the number of those who remain stagnant is increasing, whilst the upward mobility is reserved for the very few. A sluggish economic recovery and stalled social mobility are fuelling processes of social inclusion and exclusion and reigniting social inequalities. These are the real obstacles that the new government leading the country must remove swiftly.
Methodological note
Community Media Research, in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo for La Stampa, has carried out the LaST (Laboratory on Society and the Territory) Survey, which took place nationwide from 11 to 15 April 2018 amongst a representative sample of the resident population in Italy aged over 18. The methodological aspects and data collection were managed by Questlab. The total number of respondents was 1,657 (out of 14,426 contacts). The data analysis was reweighted according to gender, region, age group, employment status and educational qualification. The margin of error is +/-2.4%. The survey was conducted via a visual survey on the main social media platforms and using a random sample reached via CAWI and CATI systems. The full report is available at www.agcom.it and www.communitymediaresearch.it
