As the latest LaST survey shows, public attitudes towards migrants appear to be shifting over time. A comparison with a similar study conducted by Diamanti (2007) highlights greater openness amongst the population towards migrants, contrary to what is generally reported in the news. The view that the presence of people from other cultures constitutes a source of mutual enrichment is shared by a large proportion of Italians (72.7 per cent). The same applies to the view that they represent an important resource for our economy (72.5 per cent). On the other hand, beyond the stereotypes that nevertheless persist, a significant proportion of migrants (indeed, female migrants) live within our families, having become an integral part of them by caring for the elderly. We are in contact with different cultures, lifestyles and countries previously unknown to us, in our own homes and in our daily lives. Widespread forms of micro-solidarity have emerged. How can we forget the help offered by the inhabitants of Lampedusa to refugees, or that provided by associations supporting new arrivals? This is not a matter of ‘do-goodism’, but of observing how, in the flow of daily life and through mutual understanding, it is possible to experience forms of positive integration. School classes are a cultural mix, as is the case in sport, in our national football team (and beyond). Mixed marriages account for 13 per cent. And this extends right up to the highest institutional levels, as in the case of Minister Kyenge. Without wishing to deny the problems that coexistence generates, the need to regulate the flow of arrivals and the need to respect the rules of coexistence within our community, we must nevertheless view – at least from a rationally self-interested perspective – migrants as a resource: without their contribution, not only our economy but also the structure of our population would not have been sustainable in recent years, and even less so in the years to come. We have already, albeit unconsciously, become a multi-ethnic nation. For our future, we must transform this into a self-aware community.
