The European Union was hit hard by the economic crisis that erupted in 2008, to which some countries struggled a lot to find an effective response that would lead to a recovery. In times of austerity it becomes natural to focus on the domestic problems of a single country without looking at the big picture. It is precisely to investigate this dynamic that Challenging the Crisis, an EU-funded multinational project conducted research to establish the level of knowledge and involvement of citizens of different countries in issues of global citizenship and justice.
Indeed, the report reports the vision of young people aged between 15 and 34 from Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain and Slovenia on international development and their understanding of the concepts and problems related to it. The aim of the research is to establish whether or not global solidarity and development goals are priorities for European youth in a time of political and economic crisis and high unemployment.
Italy
The sample that answered the questions posed by the report, in Italy, was mainly composed of women (68%) and settled on an average level of education equal to a high school diploma, while on the job front, the majority of the interviewees were unemployed.
Among the concepts related to the themes of social justice and development, the best known to Italians are, in order, "global development“, “Public/national debt” and “responsible consumption”, responses all in all in line with those of the other EU countries. The lesser-known concepts, on the other hand, are “Bilateral cooperation“, “Tobin Tax” and “Target of 0,7% GDP for Millennium Goals”. Also in this case, with minimal differences, responses very similar to those of other countries.
For Italians, the main causes of poverty in our country are, above all, "Corruption and Bad Governance“, closely followed by “Social Inequalities” and by “Insufficient Education”. Globally, for Italians, poverty is caused by the "Exploitation of the poorest countries by the richest", by "Corruption" and by "Conflicts".
62% of Italians interviewed said they were concerned about the lives of the global poor, below the average of 72% found in other countries. According to 53% of people, the government should spend more on international aid, while for 7% these expenses should decrease.
As for social justice, in Italy 17% of the people interviewed are currently involved in NGOs or CSOs, 22% in youth organizations and 7% in social movements. 60% have donated money and goods to charitable organizations at least once, 48% have participated in development education programs and 60% have volunteered.
47% of the sample believe they can influence the change a Globally, a share that rises to 92% in the change a community level to settle at 76% as regards the national change. In all three cases, these are lower percentages than in other European countries.
