(Finance) – 2 out of 3 Italians they believe that the North-South divide has increased in recent years ed over half he thinks it is even destined to grow further, but this perception worsens in the citizens of the South which show percentages of 69% and 60% respectively. This is what emerges from the report FragilItalia “The development of Southern Italy“, elaborated by Legacoop and Ipsos Research Area on a representative sample of the population.
To reduce it 52% of respondents believe that it is necessary focus on youth employment41% onfemale employment and 39% on merit. Crucial too invest in healthcare (48%), development of infrastructure (47%), strategy of attraction of investments and businesses (45%), business developmenttourist and accommodation offer (43%).
“The perceptions of Italian public opinion reflect a fact that, even more so after the pandemic, is there for all to see: the structural differences between the North and the South are amplifying, rather than reducing”, he underlines Simone Gamberini, President of Legacoopnoting that the answers represent “a now precise and shared agenda of both the problems” (women, young people, work) “and the solutions” (investments and infrastructure).
“Perhaps today there would be an opportunity, precisely with the Pnrr, with the cohesion funds and with the community measures headed by the Regions – notes Gamberini – to build a new model of national sustainable development, capable of rebalancing the territorial fracture between the North and Southern Italy, sharing the entire national physical space as a ground for development”.
As for the suitable investments to encourage development of the South, in second place (with 47% of the preferences) are the infrastructure and in particular those considered more strategic such as tourist network (for 50% of those interviewed), the road network and the health network (both 47%), the agri-food network (45%). For half of the residents in the South, it also takes on a strategic nature railway networkwhich in national perception records an average value of 44%.
Among the factors that they limit the development dethe South53% of respondents indicate mafias and crime45% the corruption43% the illegal work31% tax evasion29% the clientelism. However, there is a difference in the perception of these phenomena between the North and the South. Greater importance than the national average is attributed by those who live in the South to lack of state funding and investment (28% versus 19% of the overall average) andexcessive bureaucracy (26% versus the average 20%).
Regarding the areas in which the South could act as a driving force to the development of the country, 7 out of 10 Italians indicate tourism and culture52% the agri-food industry and 37% commercial relations with the countries of the Mediterranean area.
There are gods strong points also in the Southfor example the high level ofindicative of entrepreneurial spirit, which with 74% places the South in first position compared to 71% in the North and 69% in the centre. The survey also shows that cooperatives could contribute to promote the growth of the South more than capital companies. 54% of those interviewed overall think so, 60% of those residing in the South and 66% of those under 30.