The environmental awareness and the respect for property These are two key factors in defining the scope of Italians’ civic virtues. In fact, more than nine out of ten believe that littering in public places (96.3 per cent) and to commit acts of vandalism as a form of protest (91.6 per cent) are considered by far the least acceptable ways of behaving. For around a quarter of Italians, however, it may be justified to extent of labour evasion pretending to be ill to take time off work (78.3 per cent consider this unacceptable), such as from tax by not paying them or paying less than is due (72.3 per cent consider this unacceptable).
To denigrate one’s political opponent (53,2%), to halt public works projects (52,0%), to be put forward (51.3%) are measures that more than half of Italians consider plausible. Finally, the decision not to to vote in the elections: only a third of Italians (34.8 per cent) consider it an absolute must.
Theinvestigation LaST, the Laboratory on Society and the Local Area It sought to ascertain the extent to which certain behaviours with implications for the wider community are considered acceptable, in order to gauge the degree to which Italians feel part of a civic community. There is a form of national wealth that does not appear in official GDP statistics or in indicators describing development: social capital. This is a prerequisite for development; it is the fertile ground in which the social qualities essential for the growth of a community can be nurtured. Among the many disparities that characterise Italy, those relating to social capital are certainly no exception: respect for the rules, civic behaviour, forms of solidarity and the voluntary sector are distributed unevenly and with varying degrees of intensity across the country.”
It is possible to identify four broad categories for measuring Italians’ sense of ‘civic community’: the ‘strict civic-minded people” (42.8 per cent), those who consider all the proposed options to be completely unacceptable; the “accommodating citizens” (30.8 per cent), those who believe that only some of the listed behaviours are sometimes acceptable; the “permissive civic values” (15.2 per cent), those who consider at least two of the alleged acts to be justified and, finally, the “anomic” (11.2 per cent), representing those who hold at least half of the shares.
The sense of ‘civic community’ is more widespread amongst women, the over-50s, those not in the labour market and those with a low level of education. Conversely, a greater degree of ‘permissiveness’ is found amongst men, the younger generations (up to the age of 34) and those with a medium-to-high level of education. Finally, religious morality and an interest in politics provide a fundamental foundation for cultivating civic virtues.
