Italians support NGOs, and demand public funding for them

Brussels – NGOs? They should be supported, with direct public funding. So say the Italians in the Eurobarometer survey on the social economy, the set of enterprises and bodies active in promoting social policies. There are many different entities involved in projects with objectives useful to citizens: cooperatives, associations, foundations, voluntary organisations, and even non-governmental organisations, those NGOs so much opposed in Italy for the role they play—according to the Meloni government—in supporting immigration. But they find appreciation in civil society and public opinion. 

The Eurobarometer survey asked if social economy organisations should receive public funding, and 85 per cent of Italians answered “yes”. Italy ranks fifth in the EU in terms of consensus, sympathy, and support for NGOs, cooperatives, and associations, behind only Ireland, Greece, Croatia, and Lithuania. However, it should be emphasised that for Italians, the social economy is seen as an indispensable pillar of health support: support for the elderly, the disabled, and minors is considered the area where third-sector operators make the greatest difference, and is therefore fundamental to support them. Furthermore, almost nine out of ten Italians (89 per cent) are calling for laws to be passed and for strategies to be developed at the government and local authority levels to support social economy organisations. 

On the subject of social policies and measures, Italians say they are fed up with reading and hearing that company profits are redistributed among shareholders or used to pay managerial bonuses: the number one priority for the majority of respondents (57 per cent) is that company profits are reinvested in the company (salaries, improved working conditions) or used to improve community services.