The global economic downturn has made Italians more pessimistic on the economic situation in Italy today but at the same time there is growing optimism for the future, according to this year's report on the country from the Eurispes socio-economic think tank.

Compared to a similar study two years ago, Eurispes found that the percentage of Italians who thought the economic situation had gotten worse rose from 37.6% in 2008 to 47,1% in 2010. However, the percentage who believed the situation would get better almost doubled, from 10.9% to 18.3%, reducing the percentage of Italians who saw a bleak future to 36.3%. Another 37.5% of Italians said they think the economic situation will not significantly change either way over the next 12 months. Italians salaries, Eurispes reported, are far below most in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) but tax pressure in Italy is among the highest in the 30-nation group. Based on data from 2008, the average Italian salary was said to be $21,374, placing Italy in 23rd place and far below its European partners like Germany ($29,570), France ($26,010) and Spain ($24,632). Although Italy's salaries are low, Eurispes said tax pressure stood at 46.5%, for an employee with no dependents, placing it sixth in the 30-nation OECD.

Despite having lower salaries, Eurispes found that fewer Italians were having problems making it to the end of the month, 48.4% compared to the 53.4% who said they had to tighten their belts . There was also a decline this year in the percentage of Italians who saw significant increases in consumer prices, from 83.4% in the 2009 Eurispes report to 56.8%. According to the 2010 study, 88.9% of Italians saw noticeable increases in prices for food, 86.3% for fuel, 74.9% for clothing and footwear, 74.3% for health costs and 66.7 for rents. Eurispes also calculated that single-person households in Italy rose 10.4% over the past three years, based on a seven-year trend set from 2001 to 2007. Single-person households were said to be 32.1% of the total in the northwest, 20.5% in the northeast, 19.5% in central Italy and 17.6% in the south. People living alone were found to be more likely to be employed with 69.2% holding jobs and unemployment running at only 4.3%, compared to a national average for 2007 of 6.1%, a 14-year low. While another 25.6% of singles were retired and only 0.9% were drawing unemployment compensation, 53% of people living had permanent jobs, 28.1% were self-employed were and only 18.9% had term contracts or part-time employment.

ITALIANS SEE LINK BETWEEN IMMIGRANTS AND CRIME. Looking at Italian society, Eurispes reported that 60% of Italians believe immigration has raised crime rates, with over 51% of Italians who described themselves as liberal acknowledging a relationship between immigrants and crime compared to 75% of conservatives. Around a third of Italians fear foreign residents could spread disease, slightly less thought they threatened Italy's cultural identity and just under a quarter said they were taking jobs from Italians. However, over 86% said foreign residents perform jobs Italians don't want and 59% said they represent a source of cultural enrichment for the country. In a section dedicated to crime, the report said that, based on data for 2008, mafia killings accounted for one in five of all homicides. Eurispes put the number of mafia-related deaths that year at over 106, with over half of them at the hands of the violent Camorra crime syndicate in the Campania area around Naples. Around 29% of the killings were connected to the increasingly powerful 'Ndrangheta in Calabria, which is now considered the most insidious of Italy's mafias, and some 24% attributed to the Cosa Nostra in Sicily, while 20% were linked to the Sacra Corona Unita in Puglia. On the controversial issues of displaying crucifixes in classrooms and public buildings, Eurispes found that Italians had not changed their minds on the Christian symbol since 2006, with 60% still in favor of leaving them in place and over 50% opposed a recent European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling ordering their removal.

The 2010 Eurispes study also reported that workplace and road accidents cost Italian taxpayers 72 billion euros every year, amounting to 4.6% of the country's gross domestic product. Workplace and street accidents cost Italian taxpayers 72 billion euros every year, amounting to 4.6% of the country's gross domestic product, while car and motorbike accidents racked up 28 billion euros in road rescue, medical bills and other service costs. Other findings in the Eurispes report included that about one third of Italians took out a bank loan over the past three years, more parents were sending their children to private school and one out of three Italians drink alcohol.