Small and big fears have an impact on metropolis life

Rome, 15^th of September 2008 - The citizens of the world's most important metropolis are frightened by technological progress. This is what first data of the World Social Summit's survey "Fears in metropolis" showed today during the press conference at Fondazione Roma's headquarter.

The survey regards 10 metropolis of the world (New York, Bombay, London, Paris, Rome, Cairo, Sao Paulo, Moscow, Beijing and Tokyo) and has been directed by Censis. It will be presented during the WSS and analyses how fears play a role in people's lives,, their intensity, the shape of this social alarm which seems to affect the planet's destiny.

Fear in the third millennium is the social reaction to big global changes, like growth of risks, real or perceived, falling of individual security level, lack of general protection offered in the past by the welfare's system, happening of un-expected events able to shock, in few minutes, the life of million of people.

Technological progress is no longer seen as the reason of wealth and security. As a matter of fact, only 45,7% of metropolis' inhabitants considers it as a value, while 54,3% is much more sceptic and scared: 41,2% considers the science as a "necessary trouble", more like a tax that modern societies have to pay in order to develop than a value; 13,0% is definitely scared, because it's afraid of the consequences. The reasons of this behaviour regard, for 38,1% of people interviewed, environmental and human threats, for 28,4% the lack of ethical and moral limits, for 24,6% the risk is instead to modify the human nature. Finally, 8,3% is frightened by the progress because thinks that God will punish the world. Tokyo, Cairo and Moscow are the cities which less believe in develop and progress.

Globalization, seen by many people as an opportunity, is considered a strong reason of anxiety by more than a third of metropolis' inhabitants. As a matter of fact, 37,7% of mega.cities population considers globalization a risk because, by concentrating economical, financial and political power, lets few people to control millions of people's lives (as stated by 23,3% of interviewed), because it weakens identities and local cultural values (18,2%), puts in danger consumers and investors (17,4%), increases the gap between developed and un-developed countries (16,8%). Rome (48% of romans considers globalization a risk) and Moscow (42,4%) are the most sceptic cities, Mumbai and Cairo, on the other hand, the less ones.

Fear concerning everyday life is important still: 25,5% of metropolis global population is afraid of flying; this feeling affects more women (29,4%) than men (21,5%) and it is most frequently found among Tokyo (50,9%), Beijing (33,4%), Cairo and Sao Paulo (31,4%) and New York (28,6%).

Extreme and pathological fear is frequent as well: 26,9% of world population living in metropolis has been victim of a panic-attack at least once in a lifetime; 11,4% states to have had more than one; 4,4% to have had many. One inhabitant on ten (9,5%) took psychotropic drugs; 4,8% does it still.

The World Social Summit is an initiative of Fondazione Roma, realized with the collaboration of Fondazione Censis. The Summit's aim is to construct an international debate on the numerous issues that have an impact on the global social evolution. First WSS edition will be dedicated to worldwide fears. Fearless: dialogues to fight worldwide fears will be held in Rome in September 24^th - 25^th - 26^th at Villa Miani.