Greta Thunberg has galvanized young people around the world on the topic of the environment, and wherever she goes (from the UN downwards) she is greeted with a standing ovation, but then her indications are totally ignored, and then disillusionment sets in. A research commissioned by Eni to Giffoni Innovation Hub and conducted by Medaarch on a sample chosen from all over Italy reveals the anxiety and anger of students (13-17 years), although the flame of hope remains alight.
“The feelings of anguish predominate over those of hope” explains Francesca Luciano, co-founder of Medaarch. “Dominates anxiety, as a complex combination of emotions that include fear, apprehension and worry. Aside from this overwhelming feeling, a wider range of negative emotions emerge: frustration, resentment, disappointment, mistrust, anger, resignation, sadness and repulsion. All emotions that arise from what can be defined as a disapproval of citizens’ behavior that jeopardizes the health of everyone and the environment, not respecting the rules. Among the positive emotions emerges, even if not to a decisive extent to change the general mood, that of trust, understood both as a progressive rebirth, fomented also by the contingent feeling the pandemic period (a positivist tension on the problems of our time that is found in the thought “everything will end well”) and as self-confidence, the only factor of true hope, which leads to being proactive and having the courage to have one’s say and put forward ideas and solutions. The other two positive feelings identified are hope and joy ”.
The investigation “What energy do you have?” it was conducted in a digital version, through the use of the SurveyMonkey platform and a modality that technicians call “gamification”.
Francesca Luciano again: “The feelings of young people towards the future of our planet are still under construction. Nothing is only negative, already determined or unique. It is up to us all to contribute to the growth of their emotionality by directing it towards positive and proactive resonances ”.