Summary of the speech

All aspects of behaviour cannot be described using a single term. Rather we should speak of widespread anxiety. Data from the survey tells us that only about 10% of city dwellers feel overcome by true fear. The really interesting fact is that 90% of those interviewed say they have a small daily worry. But when we try to define these feelings, we find that a good 42% speak of very real worries, almost fears. How can we explain the fact that Romans occupy the first place for pessimistic citizens? To explain this phenomenon we need to bear in mind that, on the other hand, lively optimism distinguishes Mumbai and Beijing. Those who live here say that their dominant feelings are enthusiasm, optimism, and trust.

The reason is that we have a changing world. The Italian capital has an attitude that sets it apart from other European cities. London doesn't suffer from the immigrant's nightmare. Its citizens are optimistic. London is betting on diversity.

Moving from individual feelings to many fears put together, the first type is ancestral, and involves our own person. Among the main causes of fear is that of losing one's intellectual faculties. And this is true in London, Paris and Rome. Among this type of fear is that of not being able to maintain one's own psychophysical state unchanged.

And then there is the fear of scientific and technological progress, which for many is a question of ethics. Among the many causes of fear there is one curious fact: 60% of people have a fear of traffic jams.

It seems that the level of instruction makes no difference to the ranking of the victims of fear. What does make a difference is the city, the social class and gender of the respondent (more women than men).

Globalisation is one of the reasons given for fear, the fact that there is less solidarity among people. But globalisation can also be a reason for optimism. Cities like Tokyo can benefit from globalisation.

Factors that cause a loss of motivation include terrorism, but also politics, which needs to communicate directly with citizens, without intermediaries.

Television, in this context plays the role of regularizing events, creating rules for communicating information. The media are responsible for the fact that even non-imminent threats are memorised as true threats, thus multiplying the final effect.