MILAN (ITALPRESS) – Awareness about sustainability and concern especially about Artificial Intelligence. These are the most recurring sentiments among Italian citizens reported in the BVA Doxa survey “Italians between sustainability and artificial intelligence: comparing generations,” presented in Milan during the third edition of the Multistakeholder Forum organized by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP).What emerges is an articulate picture characterized by strong cross-generational knowledge on the part of respondents of ESG issues without significant differences between generations: 90 percent of respondents (18-74 years old) have heard of ESG issues with a percentage that rises to 92 percent in the 18-34 age group to reach 95 percent in the 14-17 age group.About 80 percent of respondents in the entire panel also consider compliance with ESG factors a necessity with a growth of 13 percentage points compared to 2023. But among the Under 35s there is evidence of a change in approach, marked by greater concreteness and pragmatism, signs of an awareness of the difficulties of the path. Sustainability matters to them, but it costs money. While, for example, the panel of young people is united on the importance of choosing sustainable products in purchases, the willingness to pay more for them drops from 59 percent of Under 25s to 53 percent of Under 35s.For the latter, sustainable development does not only come through government policies: 85 percent say they engage in concrete green practices. Moreover, younger generations appear more motivated to play their part in the green transition if the initiatives they take part in include a gain for themselves as well.Looking at the creation of new jobs, most 18-34 year olds still believe that sustainability has a positive impact on employment but the share of those who believe it has negative effects instead rises to 18% from 2023. Climate change remains the top concern to which the very young associate fears related to wars and conflicts (ranked first among the fears of 14-17 year olds).In addition, strong doubts accompany the entry of artificial intelligence into daily life, which is now used on average about three times a week, according to the survey. The risk that AI may “overwhelm” people is shared by 72 percent of respondents without substantial differences among age groups and with alarms affecting such fields as privacy, labor and information.More than 75 percent of the youth believe that institutions and specifically also Cassa Depositi e Prestiti can play an important role in the country’s sustainable growth, and more than 80 percent of the sample believe that CDP can consolidate and strengthen activities in this area.A fundamental and growing function is also recognized by the youth to education. For 70% of the Under 18s, schooling is the main educational source even though the absence of adequate financial skills and the concept of sustainable finance is another element that binds the generations surveyed. In contrast is the knowledge of financial instruments among the very young (14-17): in fact, 76 percent know at least one savings product. In first place are postal bonds and passbooks (64 percent), in which more than half of teenagers (58 percent) would invest.According to CDP Chairman Giovanni Gorno Tempini, “Sustainability is at a crossroads globally: the question to be answered now is what approach we should follow to protect its positive aspects in order to combine it with competitiveness and growth, particularly in Europe.” But on the old continent, the president also issues a warning: “China is investing huge amounts of money in technology, while in the United States when we talk about investments on AI we are talking about hundreds of billions. As long as Europe remains divided into so many member states and so many initiatives that become smaller overall and then very fragmented, the risk is that it will be cut off. “The forum took a special look at young people not only on their consepension on the issues discussed, but also on the need to invest heavily in their education. Starting with financial education. “At the beginning of one’s career, a young person is more concerned about other things than investing, but financial education is a subject with technicalities and if one does not begin to become familiar with it from the beginning, he or she will have a much harder time doing so,” Gorno Tempini added. “The transformation carried out by CDP in recent years has brought sustainability and impact to the center and was a strong signal that, as a promotional bank, we wanted to give to the market. We have chosen to maintain our commitments and objectives to continue to do our part and increase our role in serving the country, aware of the great challenges that await us,” said CDP CEO Dario Scannapieco. “We want to look at the substance and concreteness of the projects to be financed and recognize the best ones. On this path CDP will be all the more credible the more it succeeds in teaming up in Italy and Europe and adapting to an ever-changing scenario. The road to a just transition will probably be more arduous. We may have to course-correct from time to time, but that is the destination,” he concluded.
– Photo xh7/Italpress –
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