Immigration. A Threat and a Benefit to Italy

Study finds that Immigrants are both a threat and a benefit to Italy. The French research institute TNT Sofres interviewed nearly 4,800 adults in five European countries, finding that Italians had conflicting feelings about immigrants. It seems that most Italians view immigration as a threat to Italy, even if it offers the country potential economic benefits.


According to the study, one in every two Italians believes immigrants are an economic advantage to Italy. This figure rises to nearly 70% when questions were raised about foreigners' willingness to provide unskilled labor. About a third of the people interviewed considered foreigners a threat, posing an overall danger to Italy's cultural identity.


Around 57% of Italians are concerned with the "excessive number" of foreigners living in Italy, while about two thirds blamed the government for failing to develop adequate immigration policies. A majority of Italians (53%) said immigrants are to blame if they were unable to integrate properly with the host country. On the other hand, less then 40% viewed different religions and lifestyle as a threat to the country.


With regard to the issues, 77% of respondents said tackling illegal immigration was a major problem, 70% cited quotas on jobs for immigrants and 50% called for a greater focus on migrants' countries of origin