Family budget increasingly difficult to make ends meet and income not adequate for family needs. This is the sentiment of Italians in a period of strong economic pressure and loss of purchasing power, with 92% declaring they have adopted at least one savings strategy, 55% considering their income inadequate for the family's needs and 44% unable to save anything at the end of the month. And again, with 27% of Italians believing that their lifestyle has worsened in recent years. Despite this, 86% of these put their personal well-being at the centre.
This is what emerges from the survey by Teha and Patrigest (Gabetti Group) "New living tracking. Lifestyles, habits and consumption of Italians" conducted on a sample of 1,000 Italians representative of the population by geographical area, gender and age group. From this observatory emerges a population engaged in continuous adaptation, in search of a balance between economic sustainability, personal well-being and openness to innovation. To adapt to the changed scenario, Italians have begun to reorganize consumption, choosing more carefully where to spend their resources, reducing the expenses they consider less essential, limiting consumption opportunities, purchase frequencies and quantities purchased and aiming for the most convenient solutions.
In this reconfiguration of priorities, 57% of the sample has reduced their clothing and footwear purchasing habits while 14% have given up on purchases. 51% of Italians have reduced their consumption outside the home and 22% have given up one or more such experiences, just as 67% have changed their travel and holiday habits. "Italians are not entering the era of reduced consumption, but into that of selective consumption", explains Valentina Quaglietti, consultant, food&retail and sustainability practice, Teha Group, "every euro spent is subjected to a more careful evaluation and must contribute in a concrete way to personal and family well-being. Purchases are becoming more planned, informed and controlled, but no less relevant from an emotional point of view. In fact, consumers continue to reward products, services and experiences capable of restoring meaning, gratification and well-being, going beyond simple logic of possession".
For 64% of Italians, the family is the guiding parameter of their lifestyle, ahead of the balance between private life and work (45%) and friendships (33%). An orientation that reflects the need for stability and security in a particularly uncertain context. In fact, alongside the rationalization of spending, the centrality of personal well-being emerges which concerns 86% of Italians, a strong trend that determines and guides daily and future habits. For 39% of the sample, taking care of oneself means above all adopting behaviors that allow one to live well in the present and also in old age. Among the new well-being priorities, mental health represents 20% (27% among those under 30). The other main daily tools for achieving well-being are balanced nutrition, physical activity, correct hydration, prevention and health monitoring.
"The ability of Italians to adapt their habits should not be confused with the absence of discomfort. 55% consider their income inadequate for family needs and 44% are unable to save at the end of the month" underlines Luca Dondi dall'Orologio, CEO of Patrigest (Gabetti Group), "the reorganization of consumption must therefore also be read in light of these constraints, not just as a redefinition of preferences. Added to this is the 27% who report a worsening of their style of life."
Looking to one's future also means adopting new technologies, starting with artificial intelligence used at least once in the private life of 8 out of 10 Italians and weekly by 45% of the sample, albeit with different motivations and methods between different generations. However, the majority, exactly 54%, still recognize its real contribution in speeding up human activities, albeit accompanied by the request for adequate guarantees in terms of privacy, reliability and responsible use.
