The current economic environment
Despite a slight increase in employment and inflation that has stabilized below 2%, 59% of Italian families perceive their income as insufficient. This fact, which emerged from Nomisma’s Family Looks Observatory, highlights a worrying reality: even in an apparently favorable economic environment, many families struggle to guarantee their well-being. The situation is aggravated by the fact that 15% of families consider their income inadequate for their primary needs, while 44%
consider it barely sufficient.
The causes of economic difficulties
The cost of living, especially household expenses, represents one of the main factors of difficulty. Wages, in fact, have increased less than the European average, leading to a loss of purchasing power that forces families to give up significant expenses. 85% of families have reduced leisure expenses, 72% have cut cultural consumption and 67% have limited sports activities. In addition, one in two families had to reduce their health expenses, while 28% decreased their investment in education
.
Impact on birth rate and health
This economic precariousness has direct repercussions on the birth rate: 60% of the interviewees indicate economic motivations as the main cause of the decline in births. The situation is particularly critical for sandwich families, those that care for children and elderly parents at the same time. 70% of these families have reduced health expenses, highlighting a vulnerability that also extends to essential sectors. The prospects for the future are not encouraging: only a little more than one in ten families expects an economic improvement in the next 12 months
.
The role of family welfare
In this context, public welfare does not seem to respond adequately to the needs of families. Marco Marcatili, Nomisma’s development director, points out that 58% of the interviewees find the main support in the family network, while only 29% receive help from public social services. Large families and single-family units are among the most fragile categories, facing increasing difficulties in reconciling life and work. Nomisma’s study highlights how lonely people, in all age groups, are in increasingly difficult conditions and with worsening prospects
.