European generations: a comparison of values, attitudes, future expectations and lifestyles of young Finns and Italians

Transcription

1 Maailma Tutuksi ry Get to Know the World Assoc. Mare Balticum Mare Nostrum program European generations: a comparison of values, attitudes, future expectations and lifestyles of young Finns and Italians Giuseppe Lugano, Paul Lwoff In cooperation with: ANP - Associazione Dirigenti e Alte Professionalità della Scuola () The Finnish Association for the Local Secondary Schools ()

2 Presentation overview Acknowledgements...3 Introduction...4 Data and methods...5 Values: importance of life domains...10 Attitudes towards institutions...25 Future expectations...36 Identity...51 Opinion on school problems...54 ICT use...55 Comparison youth surveys Conclusion

3 Acknowledgements The Authors of the youth survey Mare Balticum Mare Nostrum - a part of 2008 European year of promoting intercultural dialogue - express their gratitude to Dott.ssa Donatella Amatucci of Direzione generale per gli Affari internazionali at the Italian Ministry of Education and to Counselor Renne Klinge at the Finnish Embassy in Rome and Honorary Consul Mauri K.Elovainio for their valuable assistance. Special thanks go to Prof.Antonino Petrolino of Associazione Dirigenti e Alte Professionalità della Scuola (ANP) and Chairman Jukka O.Mattila of the Finnish Association for the Local Secondary Schools (FASS) that made the survey possible. Acknowledgments are due also to the participating schools in / which participated in the questionnaire and Counselor Olli Saarela at the Finnish Ministry of Education for providing the financial support. 3

4 Introduction Lifelong learning is a key area for the development of the European Information Society a crucial aspect concerns its cultural dimension, which should explored considering the viewpoint of its main actors, such as the students Through a survey we compare and discuss values, attitudes, experiences and expectations of young students in two European countries with a different cultural background, and The study aims at offering material to policy-makers for enhancing strategies students and school personnel to improve mutual awareness, development of a European identity and cross-cultural understanding The results provided by our comparative study are a starting point for more elaborated investigations of the issues that have been considered 4

5 Data and methods Questionnaire distributed to Italian and Finnish schools in 2007 with the support of ANP (Associazione Nazionale Dirigenti e Alte Professionalità della Scuola) Finnish Association for the Local Secondary Schools Sample Italian: 606 answers (604 valid, 99.3%) Finnish: 256 answers (247 valid,96.4%) Structure of the questionnaire Values Attitude towards institutions and school problems Future expectations ICT use 5

6 Data Italian sample North 23 schools from 22 cities 1. Bologna 2. Brescia 3. Castellanza (Varese) 4. Domodossola (Verbano) 5. Ferrara 6. Genova 7. Milano 8. Rovigo 9. Udine 10. Vercelli 11. Vicenza Centre 1. Colle di Val D'Elsa (Siena) 2. Guidonia (Roma) 3. Jesi (Ancona) 4-5. Roma (2 schools) South 1. Caltanissetta 2. Chieti 3. Modica (Ragusa) 4. Molfetta (Bari) 5. Reggio Calabria 6. Rende (Cosenza) 7. Sarno (Salerno) 6

7 Data Finnish sample 5 schools from 5 cities Northern 1. Posio (Lapland) Central 1. Palokka (Jyväskylä) South 1. Kiikka (South-West) 2. Loppi (Kanta-Häme) 3. Riistina (Sout-East) 7

8 Demographics - gender distribution Gender distribution - 34% 66% Female Male Gender distribution - 46% 54% Female Male 8

9 Demographics - age distribution Age distribution Age distribution

10 Importance of family How important is the family for you? Very important Important Not very important Not important at all 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 0% 15% 19% 80% 78% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Friends are important both in and 10

11 Importance of friends How important are friends for you? Very important Important Not very important Not important at all 2% 1% 0% 0% 1% 0% 20% 27% 71% 78% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Friends are important both in and 11

12 Importance of free time How important is free time to you? Very important Important Not very important Not important at all 2% 4% 0% 0% 2% 1% 25% 48% 46% 72% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Free time is important for both Italians and Finns 12

13 Importance of school How importance is the school for you? Very important Important Not very important Not important at all 2% 3% 3% 2% 11% 11% 22% 31% 53% 62% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Schools is important both in and 13

14 Importance of rock music How important is rock music for you? Very important Important Not very important Not important at all 4% 7% 8% 10% 20% 26% 26% 27% 36% 35% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% Finns consider rock music much more important than Italians. For 35% of Italians rock music in not important at all against 8% of Finns 14

15 Importance of heavy metal music How important is heavy metal music for you? Very important Important Not very important Not important at all 4% 4% 7% 12% 17% 21% 19% 26% 32% 60% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% For 60% of Italians, heavy metal music is not important at all For 38& of Finns, heavy metal is music is an important aspect of everyday life 15

16 Importance of traditional music How important is traditional music for you? Very important Important Not very important Not important at all 4% 7% 7% 10% 17% 23% 28% 32% 35% 37% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% Finns have a slightly higher preference for traditional music than Italians, although their attitude is very similar 16

17 Importance of classical music How important is classical music for you? Very important Important Not very important Not important at all 3% 4% 8% 10% 13% 17% 28% 32% 39% 44% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Classical music in not very popular in both countries 17

18 Comparison of music Not important at all Not very Important Important Very important Rock Traditional Heavy metal Classical Rock music is the most appreciated by Finns, while traditional music by the Italians The biggest difference concern heavy metal, quite appreciated by Finns and disliked by most Italians Classical music is not popular neither in nor in 18

19 Importance of cinema How important is cinema for you? Very important Important Not very important Not important at all 2% 2% 1% 5% 14% 20% 22% 34% 44% 54% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% For Finns, cinema is more important than for Italians 19

20 Importance of Internet How important is Internet for you? Very important Important Not very important Not important at all 0% 6% 7% 8% 19% 20% 24% 36% 38% 42% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Internet is an integral part of the everyday life for both Finns and Italians 66% of Italians againsts 57% of Finns think that Internet is important 20

21 Importance of television How important is television for you? Very important Important Not very important Not important at all 1% 2% 8% 6% 9% 17% 32% 29% 43% 53% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Television is important in both and, but not as much as the Internet 21

22 Importance of reading How important is reading for you? Very important Important Not very important Not important at all 1% 2% 6% 13% 22% 26% 24% 23% 40% 45% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Finns confirm their fame of being avid readers: for them, reading is much more important than for Italians For Finns, reading is more important than Internet and television More than a fifth of the Italians think that reading is not important at all and almost a fourth think that it is not very important 22

23 Comparison of media Not very important Important Very 1 important Cinema Internet Television Reading The greatest difference between Finns and Italians concerns the importance of reading, regarded as the most important medium by Finns and as the least popular medium by Italians Italians and Finns show a similar appreciation for Internet and television Finns consider cinema more important than Italians 23

24 Attitude towards institutions How much do you trust the Church? Very much Quite much Not very much Not at all 5% 5% 7% 17% 18% 25% 24% 24% 36% 39% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Italians trust the Church much more than Finns One fourth of Finns do not trust the Church at all 24

25 Attitude towards institutions How much do you trust the School as an institution? Very much Quite much Not very much Not at all 0% 1% 2% 6% 17% 19% 18% 24% 51% 62% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% School is a trusted institution both in and 25

26 Attitude towards institutions How much do you trust the Army as an institution? Very much Quite much Not very much Not at all 4% 7% 9% 19% 17% 21% 22% 13% 38% 48% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Finns have a more positive attitude towards their Army than Italians 26

27 Attitude towards institutions How much do you trust the Police as an institution? Very much Quite much Not very much Not at all 1% 3% 4% 10% 11% 20% 23% 38% 41% 47% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Police has a much better reputation in than in 27

28 Attitude towards institutions How much do you trust the Public administration as an institution? Very much Quite much Not very much Not at all 2% 2% 11% 11% 11% 17% 19% 31% 36% 59% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Finns appreciate public service and have a high trust towards the public administration On the contrary, 31% of Italians do not trust much and 11% not trust at all the public administration 28

29 Attitude towards institutions How much do you trust Politicians? Very much Quite much Not very much Not at all 6% 3% 4% 5% 16% 18% 33% 36% 38% 40% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Finns trust politicans much more than Italians Only 20% of Italians show some trust and 38% do not trust them at all 29

30 Attitude towards institutions How much do you trust the Parliament as institution? Very much Quite much Not very much Not at all 5% 7% 9% 11% 12% 25% 25% 31% 34% 40% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% As collective group of politicans, the Parliament is more trusted than single politicians, but the great difference between Finns and Italians remains the same 30

31 Attitude towards institutions How much do you trust the current Government? Very much Quite much Not very much Not at all 4% 6% 8% 11% 16% 25% 26% 29% 31% 49% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Finns show much more trust for their Government than Italians However, Italians appreciate the Government (33%) slightly more than Parliament as a whole (32%) and much more than the figure of single politician (21%) 31

32 Attitude towards institutions How much do you trust the Multinationals? Very much Quite much Not very much Not at all 7% 11% 9% 9% 13% 17% 26% 32% 35% 39% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Italians trust multinationals slightly more than Finns, who maintain a more neutral position towards them A larger number of Italians (17%) do not trust multinationals at all 32

33 Attitude towards institutions How much do you trust the United Nations? Very much Quite much Not very much Not at all 2% 7% 9% 13% 18% 19% 20% 30% 40% 42% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 62% of Italians trust UN against 21% of Finns 30% of Finns do not trust UN at all Perhaps, Italian show more trust for international institutions because they do no trust their own politicians, while Finns do not trust international institutions because they do not trust other countries politicians 33

34 Attitudes towards institutions - summary Not very much Quite much 1.5 Very much Police School Army Public adm. Politicians Multinationals Church United Nations Finns generally show more trust towards institutions than Italians, with two notable exceptions: Church and United Nations Police is the most trusted institution for Finns, School for Italians The biggest differences in trust concern the attitude towards Politicians (.46), Police (.57), Pub.Administration (.64) and United Nations (.76) 34

35 Future expectations quality of life How quality of life in your country will develop in the next five years? Get better 40% 46% Stay the same 11% 32% Get worse 20% 35% 9% 8% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Italians are generally more optimist than Finns for the quality of life in their country 35

36 Future expectations corruption How corruption in your country will develop in the next five years? Get better 13% 17% Stay the same 13% 55% Get worse 22% 41% 8% 29% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 41% of Finns think that their country will become more corrupted in the next 5 years More than half of Italians (55%) think that the situation of their country will not change 36

37 Future expectations terrorism How terrorism in your country will develop in the next five years? Get better Stay the same 17% 16% 19% 51% Get worse 21% 46% 12% 17% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% The same amount of people in and think that there will be less terrorism in their country in the next five years More than half of Italians (51%) think it will stay the same, while almost half of Finns (46%) expect it to get worse 37

38 Future expectations racism and intolerance How racism/intolerance in your country will develop in the next 5 years? Get better 27% 52% Stay the same 15% 41% Get worse 26% 25% 8% 6% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Finns are more positive than Italians concerning the decrease of racism and intolerance in their country A large number of Italians (41%) think that the situation will stay the same 38

39 Future expectations organized crime How organized crime will develop in your country in the next 5 years? Get better 16% 24% Stay the same 34% 55% Get worse 21% 28% 8% 14% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Finns are equally divided among who thinks that there will be less organized crime in the next 5 five years (24%), stay the same (34%) or get worse (28%) More than half of Italians (55%) think that the current situation will not change much in the future 39

40 Future expectations antisemitism How antisemitism will develop in your country in the next 5 years? Get better 22% 28% Stay the same 7% 25% Get worse 24% 26% 27% 41% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Many Finns (41%) think that there will be more antisemitism in their country in the next five years, but a almost a third of them (28%) think the opposite Italians have a similar position, although a fourth of them (25%) see neither a positive or negative change in the future 40

41 Future expectations welfare system How the welfare system will develop in your country in the next 5 years? Get better 30% 46% Stay the same 15% 23% Get worse 22% 26% 13% 23% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Almost half of Finns (46%) think that the Finnish welfare system will get better in the next 5 years A third of Italians is also positive, but many of them (23%) have no opinion about this issue 41

42 Future expectations civil rights How civil rights will develop in your country in the next 5 years? Get better 42% 45% Stay the same 11% 17% Get worse 29% 35% 9% 12% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Italians and Finns have a similar position on the future development of civil rights, with Italians slightly more positive than Finns 42

43 Future expectations human rights How human rights will develop in your country in the next 5 years? Get better 47% 52% Stay the same 9% 15% Get worse 29% 33% 6% 9% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Italians and Finns have a similar position on the future development of human rights, with Italians slightly more positive than Finns 43

44 Future expectations neighbor countries How the relations with neighbor countries will develop in the next 5 years? Get better 9% 34% Stay the same 43% 72% Get worse 10% 9% 9% 15% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Two thirds of Italians think that there will be no change in the relations with neighbor countries More than a third of Finns (34%) think that there will be a positive development. Only a minority of Finns (15%) and Italians (10%) has a negative expectation 44

45 Future expectations neighbor countries How the green movement will develop in the next 5 years? Get better 19% 37% Stay the same 26% 45% Get worse 21% 18% 16% 18% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 37% of Finns think that the green movement will acquire importance in the next five years, while almost half of Italians (45%) think that there will be no change 45

46 Future expectations climate change How the climate change will develop in the next 5 years? Get better 36% 48% Stay the same 14% 38% Get worse 18% 29% 10% 8% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 48% of Finns and 36% of Italians are optimist towards a positive development of climate change Many Italians (38%) think that the current situation will not change much, while a third of Finns (29%) think that it will get worse 46

47 Future expectations employement How the employment situation will develop in the next 5 years? Get better 63% 70% Stay the same Get worse 4% 9% 8% 13% 17% 16% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% The great majority of Finns (70%) and Italians (63%) agree that the employment situation will be better in 5 years 47

48 Future expectations - work Favourite working sector 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 3% 8% 6%5% 20% 11% 22% 17% 22% 24% 28% 34% 0% Industry worker Public sector employee Entrepreneur International relations Company services Working in the service area for companies is the most popular choice of both Finns (24%) and Italians (22%), who also appreciate being entrepreneurs Working in the area of international relations is also quite popular in both countries A large number of Finns (34%) and Italians (28%) do not have clear ideas about favourite working sector 48

49 Future expectations optimism Are you generally optimistic for the future of your country? Very optimist Optimistic Not very optimistic Not optimistic at all 1% 5% 14% 13% 13% 11% 19% 27% 44% 52% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Finns are much more optimistic than Italians for the future of their country This result confirms many other studies that present Italians describing as a country in decline 49

50 Identity as a citizen - European Do you agree with the sentence "I have a strong European identity" Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree 4% 4% 6% 11% 17% 14% 23% 29% 45% 48% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Finns and Italians have a very similar attitude towards European citizenship; however, Finns are slightly more convinced than Italians as having a European identity 50

51 Identity as a citizen - National Do you agree with the sentence "I have a strong national identity" Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree 4% 4% 8% 10% 11% 19% 30% 34% 40% 39% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Italians are more proud than Finns of their national identity However, the result is biased by almost a third of Finns (30%) did not express their opinion on this issue 51

52 Identity as a citizen - Local Do you agree with the sentence "I have a strong local identity" Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree 3% 8% 12% 11% 11% 12% 29% 32% 41% 42% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Italians are more proud than Finns of the local / regional identity However, the result is biased by the very high number of Finns (42%) who preferred not to express their position 52

53 Identity - summary How proud are of your identities as a citizen? 3.5 Not very proud Quite proud Very proud European National Local Finns are slightly more proud than Italians of being European citizens, but they are not very proud of their local identity Italians are quite proud of their national and local identities 53

54 Opinion on school problems 100% 80% 60% Which of the following school problems you do not accept? 88% 85% 92% 79% 67% 53% 58% 40% 20% 0% 28% 12% Sex before relationship 28%24% 27% Alchool Smoking Lack of respect for school personnel Drugs School violence NB: multiple choice was allowed in this question Finns and Italians show a similar attitude towards several school problems However Finns are more strict in not accepting school violence (92% to 79%), drugs (85% to 67%), lack of respect for school personnel (88% to 58%) and smoking (53% to 27%) More Italians than Finns do not accept sex before relationship (28% to 12%) and use of alchool (28% to 24%) 54

55 ICT use Which is your favourite communication tool? 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 59% 70% Mobile phone 28% Instant Messenger 5% 6% 8% 4% 4% 1% 12% Internet chat 2% 1% Other The mobile phone is the favourite communication tool for Finns (70%) and Italians (59%) 28% Italians like Instant Messenger much more than Finns (5%) 12% of Finns expressed preference for Other, including social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and IRC Galleria 55

56 Comparison In 2000 a similar study on Finnish and Italian youth was conducted in the context of the Helsinki Rome 2000 school exchange, coordinated by Paul Lwoff, director of Maailma Tutuksy ry () Pina Gentili, director of Centro Internazionale Amici della Scuola () The sample consisted of 579 students from Helsinki schools (lukiot) 389 students from Rome schools The results of the Helsinki Rome 2000 youth survey are available online at the web-page of Maailma Tutuksi ry Since the sections of the questionnaire were quite similar, it is interesting to compare the results and evaluate the changes that took place almost a decade later 56

57 Changes since values Has the importance of some domains of life changed since 2000? Difference Family +2% (from 95% to 97%) -1% (from 96% to 95%) Importance of family, friends and free time remained the same Friends Free time School Rock music Traditional Music Classical music same (98%) -1% (from 95% to 94%) +1 (from 83% to 84%) -10% (from 40% to 30%) -9% (from 44% to 35%) -5% (from 22% to 17%) same (98%) same (97%) -10% (from 94% to 84%) +18% (from 44% to 62%) -6% (from 53% to 47%) -7% (from 27% to 20%) School in is perceived as much less important than in the past (-10%) All types of music are declining, with the exception of rock music in (+10%) 57

58 Changes since values Has the importance of mass and personal media changed since 2000? Difference Cinema Internet +2% (from 56% to 58%) +9% (from 57% to 66%) +4% (from 70% to 74%) -5% (from 62% to 57%) Media habits of Finns and Italians have changed much on reading, with more Finns (+14%) and less Italians that consider it as an important activity Television Reading +5% (from 55% to 60%) -16% (from 64% to 48%) -6% (from 67% to 61%) +14% (from 71% to 85%) While Finns are leaving Internet and television for reading, Italians are exactly doing the opposite 58

59 Changes since attitudes Have attitudes towards institutions changed since 2000? Difference has higher trust -1% towards all institutions except Church same (53%) (from 33% to 32%) United Nations (-32%) Army Police Public administration Politicians Parliament Government Multinationals United Nations +20% (from 35% to 55%) same (61%) +10% (from 37% to 47%) +4% (from 17% to 21%) -9% (from 41% to 32%) -9% (from 42% to 33%) same (43%) -6% (from 68% to 62%) +4% (from 63% to 67%) +7% (from 78% to 85%) +48% (from 30% to 78%) +20% (from 19% to 39%) +15% (from 36% to 51%) +22% (from 43% to 65%) +11% (from 35% to 46%) -32% (from 53% to 21%) The very high grow of trust for public administration (+48%) might be motivated by the fact that was earlier named bureaucracy In, the army gained much trust (+20%), as public administration (+10%), while trust for church, police and multinationals stayed the same 59

60 Changes since future Are young people more positive towards the future than in 2000? Difference Employment Relations with neighbor countries Quality of life Civil rights Welfare Environment Crime / violence +39% (from 24% to 63%) - 41% (from 50% to 9%) -3% (from 43% to 40%) +1% (from 44% to 45%) +4% (from 26% to 30%) +24% (from 12% to 36%) +5% (from 11% to 16%) +14% (from 14% to 39%) -19% (from 55 % to 34%) same (46%) +16% (from 26% to 42%) +24% (from 22% to 46%) +33% (from 15% to 48%) +12% (from 12% to 24%) Finnish and Italian attitude towards the future is similar Employment will be better in 5 years, probably because an improvement is expected after a crisis, and there is optimism for a greener future However, the tensions in international relations are reflected in much uncertainty for better relations with neighbor countries 60

61 Changes since 2000 school problems How students opinions on schools problems that are not tolerated have changed since 2000? Difference Sex before Relationship Alcohol Smoking Drugs +23% (from 5% to 28%) -15% (from 43% to 28%) -8% (from 35% to 27%) +4 (from 63% to 67%) +1% (from 11% to 12%) +14% (from 10 % to 24%) +27% (from 26% to 53%) +23% (from 62% to 85%) Finnish are less tolerant than in 2000 about all school problems, except the attitude towards sex, which has not changed significantly (+1%) Italians are more tolerant towards alcohol (-15%) and smoking (-8%), while tolerate less than in 2000 having sex before a relationship (+23%) 61

62 Conclusion Although the sense of a common European identity is growing in younger generations of Finns and Italians, some cultural differences remain. In addition, the comparison with the Helsinki Rome 2000 shows that national and local policies influence the values, attitudes and future expectations of young students Deeper investigations of the main differences are required, for instance for the sharp decrease of importance of reading in Italian students. In, for the scarce trust towards international institutions like UN in 62