Conspiracy theories prove to be popular among Italians, a survey conducted by the research institute Censis has indicated. According to the authors of the report, titled "Italian Society in 2021", people resort to "magical thinking" as their expectations of a better life are betrayed.
Despite the high amount of fully vaccinated individuals in the country (around 77%), the poll shows that Italians are sceptical about the pandemic: almost 6% of the 1,200 respondents did not believe the virus existed, and up to 11% said that vaccines are not helping against the infection.
Over 64% of respondents also stated that big multinational corporations were "responsible for everything that happens to us".
"Rationality... gives way in many cases to an unreasonable readiness to believe in the most improbable fantasies", Censis said in a statement
At the same time, around 20% of the Italian population believed that 5G technology is being used to control people's minds. Classical conspiracies also had their share of devotees: around 10% said that the Moon landing was fake, and almost 6% believed that the Earth is flat.
A city worker cleans the Piazzetta next to St. Mark's Square, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Venice, Italy June 19, 2020
© Fabrizio Bensch
The survey also showed Italians' concerns about the economy amid growing prices and job market grievances: 81% said it is very difficult for a young person to get back all the efforts put into education. More than half (51%) of respondents believe that despite the GDP rebound registered this year, the country will never achieve previous levels of economic growth, and the best days of Italy are in the past.