Italians, a people of collectors. That passion is a distinctive trait of the character of the Italians is well known. When it comes to passions that last over time, we are second to none. Over 94% - the highest percentage in Europe - admitted to cultivating at least one passion in their life and, at the same time, we lead the ranking among Europeans with an average of 4.7 passions apiece. Furthermore, Italians are the most likely to collect, with 42% saying they have at least one and 16% considering starting a new one. These are some of the results that emerged from the research on passions carried out by Catawiki, the leading online auction platform for special objects in Europe, and conducted by YouGov in five European countries, with more than 6,000 participants.
The Italian top 5
The results revealed the tendency of people to have more long-standing passions, and it emerges that from country to country there are substantial differences.
On the podium of Italian passions
, books
stand out
(with 44% of preferences) followed by
computers
(32%) and, in third place, we find
photography
(26%). To confirm that Italy is also a country of "fashion victims", it follows fashion with 23% and bags and accessories with 21%.
How is a passion born and when is it cultivated?
Almost half of the respondents (49%) said they "always had this passion", while 21% "were looking for a way to occupy their free time". Cultivating a passion requires commitment, dedication and a lot of time: more than two out of three Italians (67%) do it at least once a week. Searching for information on the web or on social media is essential for 57% of respondents, 30% look at content related to their passion, or buy something more (35%) and participate in events or live experiences (20%)
Passion or work ?
Passion means happiness for 70% of the interviewees, but time is one of the biggest constraints to live it fully. Nearly 60% say they lose track of time when busy with their passion, and 56% said they would grow new ones if they had more time. More than half would like to turn their passion into a job, and less than 1 in 5, 19%, are lucky enough to do so already.
Sharing or secret haven?
For Italians, passion also means sharing. Although the personal sphere remains preeminent (the interviewees want to maintain a taste for their interest and express their personality), sharing with the surrounding community is important for 37% of Italians, and 57% said that "everyone is at knowledge "of their passion. This high level of sharing is another way to express enthusiasm, typical of us Italians. A substantial difference with "Northern Europe", where only 25% and 26% of the interviewees, respectively German and Dutch, are inclined to share passions with others.
How much does a passion cost?
35% admitted spending on average more than € 100 per month, 117 to be precise, to buy items related to their passion.
The survey also shows that Italians are not the ones who spend the most, but are inclined to save for their passion (37%).
Pandemic and new passions
The pandemic has changed the time that Italians devote to passions but not their spending habits, allowing us to "renew our passions (45%)" or "start new ones" (28%), such as reading.
Finally, a large percentage of compatriots almost one in five (19%) considered the possibility of living off their passion since the beginning of the pandemic, much more than in other countries.