Pessimistic Rome

The survey which will be presented during the World Social Summit compares the way of life of 10 world metropolis' inhabitants: Rome is the most uncomfortable one.

Rome, 15^th of September 2008 - Unsure, frightened, discouraged: it's quite impressive to see how Censis describes Rome and its citizens in the survey that will be presented during the World Social Summit focused on international fears (24-26^th of September).

The survey, which regards 10 metropolis of the world (New York, Bombay, London, Paris, Rome, Cairo, Sao Paulo, Moscow, Beijing and Tokyo), highlights very evident data: Rome's citizens are with no doubts the most anxious.

The numbers show that - on a sample of 500 people - to the question "which feeling better describes your relation with life?", 46% of romans answers "uncertainty" while 12,2% answers "fear". The sum of these two feelings (58,2%) gives us the image of Rome as the unhappiest city between all the ones examined. As a matter of fact, the level of fear and uncertainty in the other cities is 36% average. So, most romans live in fear: feeling that is less prevalent in the other metropolis.

Other answers are also negative: only 4,6% of romans is enthusiastic about life (the general average is 12,1%) and only 9,6% of romans are trusting to the future (17,2% in other cities).

Very interesting are also the generational aspects. The survey shows that uncertainty is very present among young people and less among adults. In the age rank between 18 and 29 years old, 51,2% of romans answers "uncertainty", while in the age rank between 65 and 74 years old the percentage is of 35,4. We have to admit that in this rank fear (17,7%) is a bit more common , but, adding the answers "uncertainty" and "fear", young people are more than adults (58,5 against 53,1). This image is strengthened also by another element: optimists and trusting people - in the age rank between 18 and 29 years old - are 31,8%, while in the age rank 65-74 years old they arrive to 36,7%.

The survey highlighted also a clear prevalence of the fear feeling among women rather than among men (16,2 against 7,7%) and in the same way among inhabitants of suburbs (14,2%) rather than among downtown residents (5%).