Like people in other G20 countries, Italians want their economies transformed to address inequality and the climate crisis, but do not trust their leaders to bring about the necessary change, according to a new survey by Ipsos on behalf of the Earth4All initiative.
    The report said 73% of Italians agree there is too much economic inequality in their country, a level that is even higher than the average of 70% for the 17 countries the survey was conducted in, and up from 61% in 2024.
    It said 61% of people here agree with the assertion that the economic system is rigged to benefit the rich and powerful, and 68% agree that the economic system needs major changes.
    Yet while the mandate for change is overwhelming, the trust in governments to deliver it has deteriorated.
    Only 22% of people in Italy believe their government will make decisions that benefit the majority of people 20 or 30 years from now, significantly below the global average of 31%, with 40% disagreeing.
    That collapse in trust runs through the wider social fabric.
    Overall, 66% of the Italian public agreed that the country is more divided than it was 10 years ago, which is in line with the global average of 67%.

Only 8% disagreed.
    Earth4All, which is working to accelerate the systemic changes needed for an equitable future on a finite planet, says the study shows it is time for a new kind of social contract, which takes the scale of change people are asking for seriously and offers it through fair and democratic means.
    "Just 22% of Italians trust their government to act in the best interests of the majority of people over the long term," Owen Gaffney, the Earth4All co-chair and one of the report's authors, told ANSA.
    "The Italian result is substantially below the G20 average of 31% - which is already very low.
    "It is clear that greater trust is needed to adequately deal with long-term challenges like climate change.
    "We need to re-invent democracies to rebuild trust".

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