Leader: Salvatore Strozza (UNINA); Other collaborator(s):
Through the lens of ageing’s social sustainability, specific attention should be devoted to younger generations whose human capital and competitiveness in the labour market should be enhanced. While this holds in general, a special focus should be put onto the component with foreign origin. They representing a sizeable share of births in Italy, further increased by immigration of children in preschool and school age, and they face great difficulties in terms of insertion and school success (dropouts, low marks, etc.). Ad hoc strategies aimed at improving their chances of success at school and in the labour market must be planned, including their school-to-work transition, and taking score of the difficulties they face in the integration processes.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
In this regard, special attention should be paid to the issue of citizenship of young children of immigrants both in its formal dimension, the lack of access to which is an obstacle to the achievement of personal goals especially in the labour field, if we consider that without Italian citizenship it is not possible to access public competitions, and in its substantive and identity dimension: recognizing the belonging to Italy and, meanwhile, multiple identities of these young people would promote their full inclusion and general social cohesion. Using data from ISTAT’s “Children and Adolescents: behaviors, attitudes and future plans” survey (2021), we studied the connections between students’ personal and family characteristics and the perceived effects of distance learning on their school performance during the covid 19 pandemic in Italy. Our results indicate that, compared with natives, foreign students and those from poor families seem to have a higher likelihood of a negative influence of distance learning on school performance. Using data from ISTAT ad-hoc labour force survey (2021), we studied the access to the labour market and the occupational characteristics of immigrants’ descendants residing in Italy, aged between 18 and 29. The results showed that second-generation immigrants are most likely to be excluded from the labour market. This is not the same for the other migratory generations, who seem to have a similar path to that of the Italians. Among the workers, the second generation has a highly qualified position and educationally relevant work compared to the other groups. We also explored the issue of the political integration of foreigners and their children in Italy. Using data from the “Social Condition and Integration of Foreign Citizens” survey of the Italian National Institute (2011-12), we analysed the role played by ethnic identity and perceived discrimination on political interest and participation by considering intergenerational differences. Empirical results indicate that, for both the first generation and the 1.5th generation, there is no evidence of a negative role played by the preservation of minority ethnic identity, as long as it is also accompanied by the acquisition of a majority (national) identity. In addition, the results showed that, as discrimination increases, political engagement (both attitudinal and behavioural) for both generations of migrants is considered.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
In the last forty years, Italy has recorded a significant reduction in its young people (under 20 years old). Prolonged low fertility has led to reduced births and a decrease in the average size of female birth cohorts of reproductive age, which in turn has contributed to the collapse in the number of births over the past decade. In order to promote a more balanced demographic evolution, in addition to supporting the recovery of fertility, it will also be necessary to plan and govern adequate immigration policies from abroad and the integration of immigrants and their children. For a long time, the Ministry of Education has paid particular attention to the school integration of immigrants’ children. However, significant disadvantages remain in terms of dropouts, school failure, grades and learning levels, school delay, educational pathways and access to tertiary education. It is therefore necessary to develop continuous monitoring, also extended to the new Italians, and to adopt strategies and devices aimed at overcoming barriers and promoting full inclusion, thus also avoiding subordinate job placement paths compared to native peers. Our findings stimulate policy recommendations to counteract and prevent racial-ethnic discriminatory practices, to remove social barriers to school and labour market inclusion and social mobility of immigrant descendants, and to promote equal opportunities for them. Our results also highlight the importance of citizenship for the young children of immigrants, both in its legal dimension and in its identity dimension: it would be necessary to remove the obstacles to their full inclusion both by combating discrimination and by recognizing their belonging to Italy and, at the same time, the multiple identities of these young people. These recommendations go in the direction of creating a more equitable and sustainable society.
Content: The task aims to analyze the differences between students' educational aspirations during their upper school attendance and their achievements in terms of (subsequent) university attendance in Italy. The objective is to examine the differences by citizenship/origin and to look for factors that determine the lack of access to university studies, particularly for students with foreign origin. Analyses on the social and political participation of young people of foreign origin are also continuing.
Data collection: Data from the 2015 ISTAT survey on “Integration of Second Generations (ISG)” were used to describe upper school students’ educational aspirations by citizenship. The record linkage of ISG dataset with the administrative data on university students, from the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR), makes possible to analyse the role of individual aspirations on actual achievement in terms of university attendance.
The time-series of Eurostatat micro-data on Labour Force Survey (LFS) have been retrieved. In particular, the task aims to use the ad-hoc module of 2021 on the “Labor market situation of immigrants and their immediate descendants" which oversampling of the foreign population.
Sample survey on “Formazione, Occupazione, Lavoro di Cura e Salute degli Immigrati e delle persone con background migratorio presenti in Italia (FOLCSI)” [Training, Employment, Care Work and Health of Immigrants and people with a migratory background present in Italy] is in progress.
Data Analysis: Analysis of secondary data (main sources are ISTAT and MIUR) is either completed or currently in progress.
Dissemination Activities: Dissemination efforts have already begun and are ongoing. In particular some results of the task have been presented in the PNRR Age-IT General Meeting (Venice, May 20-22), LX Riunione Scientifica SIEDS (Milan, May 22-24), and the European Population Conference (Edinburgh, June 12-15).
Scientific Publications: Writing of abstracts, working papers, and scientific articles is ongoing.
Content: The research is ongoing for providing evidence on the determinants of educational outcomes and labor market access of youths of foreign origin. Analyses on the social and political participation of young people of foreign origin are also continuing.
Data collection: Sample survey on “Formazione, Occupazione, Lavoro di Cura e Salute degli Immigrati e delle persone con background migratorio presenti in Italia (FOLCSI)” [Training, Employment, Care Work and Health of Immigrants and people with a migratory background present in Italy] is in progress.
The possibility of using data from the 2023 ISTAT survey on “Bambini e ragazzi: comportamenti, atteggiamenti e progetti futuri” [Behaviours, Attitudes and Future Plans gf Children and Young People] is started in collaboration with WP5 of Spoke 1.
Data Analysis: Analysis of secondary data (main source is ISTAT) is either completed or currently in progress. The analysis of the ad-hoc module of EU-LFS 2021 started.
Dissemination Activities: Dissemination efforts have already begun and are ongoing. In particular some results of the task have been presented in the 21st IMISCOE Annual Conference (Lisboa, July 2-5) and in the XVII Conference ESPANET 2024 (Naples, September 4-6)
Policy Brief: A policy brief on measures to support migrants’ integration in the ageing societies is currently in progress.
Scientific Publications: Writing of abstracts, working papers, and scientific articles is ongoing.
Content: The research is ongoing to provide evidence on the determinants of educational outcomes and labor market access of youths of foreign origin. Analyses on the social and political participation of young people of foreign origin are also continuing.
Data collection: Data collection of sample survey on “Formazione, Occupazione, Lavoro di Cura e Salute degli Immigrati e delle persone con background migratorio presenti in Italia (FOLCSI)” [Training, Employment, Care Work and Health of Immigrants and people with a migratory background present in Italy] is concluded and preparation of the dataset is in progress.
The possibility of using data from the 2023 ISTAT survey on “Bambini e ragazzi: comportamenti, atteggiamenti e progetti futuri” [Behaviours, Attitudes and Future Plans gf Children and Young People] is in progress in collaboration with WP5 of Spoke 1.
Data Analysis: Analysis of secondary data (main source is ISTAT) is mostly completed. The analysis of the ad-hoc module of EU-LFS 2021 is in progress.
Dissemination Activities: Dissemination efforts are ongoing. In particular, some results of the task have been presented at the Conferenza annuale of Centro di elaborazione culturale MoMi (Mobilità, Migrazioni internazionali) on “Demografia e Migrazioni” (University of Naples L’Orientale, 10 December 2024); at the Workshop “People on the move. Connecting people, expanding knowledge on migration” (University of Naples Federico II, 6 November 2024).
Policy Brief: A policy brief on measures to support migrants’ integration in the ageing societies is currently in progress.
Scientific Publications: Writing of abstracts, working papers, and scientific articles is ongoing.
Strozza S. (2023), “La crisi demografica italiana nel contesto europeo: cause e possibili soluzioni”, Bancaria, 12/2023, pp. 2-9.
Buonomo A., Gabrielli G., Gatti R., Strozza S. (2023), “Occupational Characteristics and trajectories of young immigrants’ descendents in Italy”, Rivista Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, Volume LXXVII, n. 4, pp. 61-72.
Buonomo A., Conti C., Di Patrizio F., Strozza S., Terribili M. D. (2024), “Distance learning during the pandemic: opinions and attitudes of young students”, Rivista Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, Volume LXXVIII, n. 2, pp. 223-234.
Presentations
Buonomo, A., Conti, C., Gabrielli G., Rottino F. M., Strozza S., School and Inequalities due to Migratory Background: the Results of ISTAT Surveys on Children and Young people, Evento Spoke 1 “The Demography of Ageing”, Roma, 3-4 ottobre 2024.
Strozza, S. «Migrazioni internazionali e dinamiche demografiche: alcune evidenze per l’Italia nel panorama europeo», presented at the Annual Conferenza of Centro di elaborazione culturale MoMi (Mobilità, Migrazioni internazionali) on “Demografia e Migrazioni” (University of Naples L’Orientale, Napoli, 10 December 2024).
De Vito, A., Di Bello, A., Acito, A. “Diverging path: the age of entry into the employment for young adults with migratory background” (University of Naples Federico II, 6 November 2024).