Gli immigrati stranieri: valutazioni, conoscenze e giudizi degli italiani

Summary The general attitude of local population toward immigration is one of the main variable in the process of immigrants' integration. It has a significant effect on political debate and policies themselves. The Institute for Population Research (IRP) of the National Research Council (CNR) has included this subject in three of its surveys on the attitudes and opinions of the Italians towards population trends. The first of these surveys was conducted between December 1987 and January 1988, the second in March 1991, and the third in January 1997. They offer the possibility to follow the evolution of this important aspect of migration. The aim of the paper is to describe the changes in attitudes and opinions of Italians towards immigration and immigrants in a decisive decade for the role of the new-comers in the Italian society. Particular attention is devoted to the results of the most recent survey. The statistical analysis of the data is also based on a cluster analysis, in order to highlight the characteristics of people with similar opinions.