A year on, sociologist Marini’s Cmr research centre has analysed public opinion: compared with the Italian average, 2016 is viewed with greater apprehension here
The future? People in Veneto are the most concerned
Both the number of pessimists and those who fear a deterioration in conditions for families have risen; those expressing optimism are in a clear minority
The future? It won’t make us any richer: if all goes well, we won’t be ruined. Whether it’s down to the general crisis that’s been dragging on since 2008, or the blow suffered in recent months by the two major regional cooperative banks, now converted into public limited companies, or perhaps because cheap optimism is not the norm in these parts, but it is the Venetians – compared to Italians in general and even those in the north-east – who express the greatest concern of all about what lies ahead in terms of economic well-being. This is the surprising picture that emerges from the new survey carried out by the Community Media Research laboratory, headed by sociologist Daniele Marini. ‘A slowdown: it sounds like an oxymoron, but this,’ explains Marini, ‘is the outlook that people in the north-east envisage for their families and for the economy in the coming years. On the other hand, one cannot blame them. Listening to the news coming from the financial markets and economic institutions, there is little cause for cheer. The stock market is volatile and unstable; global growth forecasts are positive, but are being progressively revised downwards.” Of the famous BRICS – the world’s emerging economies – Russia and Brazil are struggling, whilst China has slowed down and is focusing on its domestic market. International issues such as migration, terrorism, Syria and Libya are further clouding the picture.
