Just over 3 out of 10 Italians feel that their current financial situation has worsened in the last year, a little more for women.
In fact, 38% of those who feel an aggravation are women over 59 years of age and with an average educational qualification.
This is revealed by the first snapshot of consumer sentiment taken from the continuous monitor of EngageMinds Hub - Consumer, Food & Health Research Center, the research center in consumer and health psychology of the Catholic University.
When Italians are questioned about their perception of their future economic situation, 3 out of 10 assume that they will be worse off, in line with those who think that their situation has worsened, while just over 1 in 10 have the feeling that they will live in a better condition than the current one. .
Comparing in more detail the data collected in previous years, the survey highlights that Italians' optimism regarding economic growth in the next 12 months has increased slightly: in 2022 it was 5%, in 2023 it was 7% and in the first month of 2024 the percentage rises to 10%.
Looking instead at the not-so-near future, only around 1 in 10 Italians believe it is probable that in the next 5 years the entire country will enjoy a period of constant well-being, while almost 5 in 10 think that unemployment and the economic crisis will increase in the next 12 months.
This last type of negative sentiment is prevalent in women (37%).
"The new data from the Engagement Monitor give us the profile of a society that is more critical, disaffected, fatalistic in the management of health and lifestyle and tends to be more cynical with respect to social issues - declares Guendalina Graffigna, director of the EngageMinds HUB Research Center of the Catholic University and scientific director of the survey -. Of particular concern is the female target, who seems to be raising an alarm bell regarding their financial situation for the near future".
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