Italians look in the mirror and the image reflected back at them is not a positive one. Let’s be clear: we’re talking about social perceptions, with a narrative that doesn’t always correspond to reality. Quite the contrary. We know full well – not least from news reports – just how capable the population is of acts of solidarity, of showing compassion for those who are suffering, and of building networks of cohesion. From the so-called ‘mud angels’ to the Civil Protection Agency; from the many forms of voluntary work across various sectors to the fire service; from the simplest acts of support, such as ‘donate 1 euro’ via text message, to non-governmental organisations and social cooperation.
The list could go on and on, but these examples alone illustrate how, in our country, there is a vibrant form of social capital which, whilst not yet factored into GDP, generates wealth – both social and, indirectly, economic – that is fundamental to the social fabric and to growth. Nevertheless, when Italians look at themselves in the mirror, they do not seem to recognise these qualities. Instead, they emphasise the less positive traits. It is as though, when looking at a photograph, they see the shadows and the dark sides, rather than the colours that define the figures.
The Community Media Research study clearly highlights this sort of cognitive dissonance: a polarisation between reality and the collective imagination.Thus, overall, there are two predominant characteristics that Italians highlight about themselves: never being satisfied (24.6 per cent) and a greater interest in money than in culture (24.2 per cent). On the one hand, therefore, a gloomy sentiment, a perennial sense of unease, pervades the minds of our compatriots. On the other hand, there is a utilitarian mindset, with a greater focus on material aspects than on intangible ones. If we add to these two traits a third characteristic – being selfish (17.5%) – we can safely say that the majority see negative traits in their fellow Italians.
Other characteristics associated with positive connotations are less prominent. A hard-working attitude is an aspect recognised overall by one-fifth of respondents (17.5% of employees, 2.4% of business owners). Altruism and solidarity are virtues identified by only 5.2 per cent, on a par with self-reliance (5.3 per cent). Bringing up the rear is religiousness (3.3 per cent), a finding that speaks volumes about the processes of secularisation that have also affected our country. This picture, however, is not uniform across the country, but shows some significant variations that highlight certain traditional stereotypes. Hard work is a trait recognised more in the north of the country (North-West 21.7 per cent; North-East 21.1 per cent), and less so in the Centre (13.5 per cent) and the South (12.8 per cent). Although they represent a minority, altruism and solidarity appear to be more prevalent in Northern and Central Italy than in the South. In the South, by contrast, a materialistic and self-centred outlook prevails. The North-East, in turn, is characterised by a markedly stronger spirit of autonomy (12.5%) compared with the national average (5.3%), and it is a region where religiosity still carries relative weight (North-East 5.6%, Italy 3.3%).
The image of Italians, therefore, is not uniform, but is characterised by various nuances determined by regional social capital, cultural traditions, and the opportunities offered by local society and the local economy. On the whole, however, there is a tendency to emphasise the negative and deteriorating aspects rather than the positive ones. This is a typical Italian trait and has various reasons behind it. There is certainly an underlying psychological mechanism at work: projecting one’s own faults onto others is a way of easing one’s conscience. Certainly, an economic and, above all, political transition (which seems endless) does not allow us to cast a positive light on the world around us. Consequently, a lack of trust in institutions and disillusionment with domestic politics do not help us to see positive traits in others. Furthermore, the prolonged process of undermining carried out by private individuals, collective bodies and institutions (bribes, corruption, etc.), rather than by the media, does little to foster a positive social environment.
Last but not least, there is the absence of a vision for the country’s future – a symbolic and value-based framework capable of holding together the various parts of society and the economy and steering them towards a shared direction. In the absence of a strong sense of identity with our own country, we become more distrustful of others, emphasising their less positive traits. The result of all this is a disconnect and a dissociation between reality and the collective imagination. We paint a picture of ourselves that is worse than we actually are. And since social representations influence reality more than reality influences the collective imagination, we risk trapping ourselves in a vicious circle. If we do not possess a sense of national pride to fall back on, let us at least try to construct a narrative of being ‘differently Italian’.
Daniele Marini
Methodological note
Community Media Research, in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo for La Stampa, carried out the LaST (Laboratory on Society and Territory) Survey, which was conducted nationwide from 6 to 12 April 2017 on a representative sample of the population resident in Italy, aged 18 and over. The methodological aspects and the survey were taken care of by the Questlab company. The total number of respondents was 1,655 (out of 14,103 contacts). The data analysis was reproportioned on the basis of gender, territory, age group, occupational status and educational qualification. The margin of error is +/-2.4%. 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 e www.communitymediaresearch.it
