we receive e we publish the following press release from theAnima Observatory on family savings:
Milan, November 4 2024 - A little less optimistic about the country's condition and their personal situation, worried about inflation, but they do not give up making plans. In investments, interest in Accumulation Plans (PAC) is growing and attention to sustainability is rising, reversing a trend that has been underway for a couple of years. These are just some of the evidence that emerges from the autumn edition of theANIMA Observatory 2024, conducted in collaboration with market research companies Eumeter e Research Dogma.
The survey, carried out via the Internet, regularly monitors the trends, needs and habits of Italian families in terms of finance, savings and investments. The study was conducted between 3 and 11 September 2024 on a sample of 1.003 “banked” adults, i.e. holders of a bank account or bank/postal book and with access to the Internet, representative di about 35 million people. Of these, 50% are also investors.
COUNTRY AND PERSONAL SITUATION, ITALIANS A LITTLE LESS OPTIMISTIC
21% of bank customers and 27% of investors believe that Italy's economic situation has improved compared to a year ago: percentages slightly lower than in the spring (when they were 23% and 30% respectively), but higher than in autumn 2023.
As for expectations for the next year, 20% of bank customers and 26% of investors expect the country's economic situation to improve in the next 12 months, a slight decrease compared to the previous survey. Expectations about their personal situation also show a slight decrease in optimists; 26% of bank customers and 30% of investors are still confident that their personal situation will improve within a year.
INFLATION IS WORRYING, BUT DOESN'T STOP PROJECTS
Inflation remains a pressing issue: for 52% of bank customers and 43% of investors, rising prices still represent a significant problem, up 2 and 3 percentage points respectively compared to spring 2024. Concern is particularly strong among respondents aged between 55 and 64, 58% of whom believe that inflation will still be a problem in the future. Nonetheless, the average number of projects per individual is slightly increasing (+0,1), reaching 2,6. To finance these projects, Italians resort to various strategies, from reducing unnecessary expenses (58%), to accumulating money to save or invest (51%) to optimizing savings management (31%).
Finally, the saving capacity of Italians shows a certain decline – partly due to a seasonal effect – and falls from 57% to 51% among bank customers and from 77% to 68% among investors..
SAVINGS AND INVESTMENTS: CAPS ARE INCREASINGLY WELL-KNOWN AND WIDESPREAD
Looking at investments, 55% of bank customers and 74% of investors would invest in financial products, 33% and 34% respectively in real estate.
The propensity to invest, despite a slight decrease, remains significant: 23% of bank customers believe it is a good time to invest, compared to 18% who think it is not a good time at all.
Knowledge and diffusion of Capital Accumulation Plans are growing. 32% of bank customers and 36% of investors say they know about them and 21% of bank customers and 37% of investors have opened at least one, an increase of 8 and 12 percentage points respectively compared to spring.
INTEREST IN SUSTAINABILITY IS ON THE RISE AGAIN
Choosing sustainable products and services with low environmental and social impact remains “very” or “fairly” important for 81% of bank customers and 84% of investors, despite a slight decrease on a half-yearly basis.
Significant, after several surveys, the reversal of the trend in the increase of those who claim to prefer performance to sustainability, which has continued uninterrupted since September 2022: today 57% of bank customers and 50% of investors place more importance on sustainability than financial performance, up from 49% and 45% in March.
Methodological note
This document contains the results of the survey (half-yearly) of theANIMA Observatory, conducted from 3 to 11 September 2024, on a sample of 1.003 “banked”, i.e. holders of a current account/bank/postal book, with access to the Web, representing approximately 35 million Italians. The interviews were conducted using the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing) methodology. The questionnaire includes standard questions on which to build a medium-long term trend relating to Italians' projects and strategies for realizing them, current possession and satisfaction with savings/investment products as well as prefigurations. The questionnaire also consists of non-recurring questions related to current events. The sum of the values may be slightly different from 100, due to rounding.
