Italians and hunting, survey confirms the favor for hunting in particular in small towns and in those near Parks.
Italians and hunting, a friendship that is also growing in Emilia Romagna: 61% of the Emilia-Romagna people are in favor of hunting. The favor for hunting has been confirmed, especially in small towns and in those near Parks. The results come from the second opinion poll, carried out three years after the first, by Astra Ricerche by the sociologist Enrico Finzi for CNCN, FACE Italia and Arcicaccia. The regional councilor Tiberio Rabboni, the president of the Forlì-Cesena Province Massimo Bulbi, the ISPRA manager Silvano Toso, representatives of the institutions and of the agricultural world. Emilia Romagna is confirmed as a region close to hunting and hunters, with growing approval ratings for hunting. Specifically, it goes from 30% to 56% for favorable positions, with important peaks in small municipalities or those whose territory falls within or borders on the Parks, and reaches 61% of absolute "proximity".
These are the most important results of the second opinion poll entitled "Italians and hunting", carried out by sociologist Enrico Finzi with Astra Ricerche and commissioned by CNCN (National Committee on Hunting and Nature), FACE Italia (Federcaccia, Libera Caccia, Anuu Migratoristi, EnalCaccia) and ArciCaccia. The presentation of the regional cross-section of the research took place within the appointment "Hunting & Country Fishing EXPO", Saturday 30 November in the presence of the regional councilor Tiberio Rabboni, the president of the Forlì-Cesena Province Massimo Bulbi and the ISPRA manager Silvano Toso , as well as numerous exponents of institutions and farmers' associations.
The survey was carried out in the first ten days of June 2013 through 2.025 interviews administered to a representative sample of Italians aged 18-80, equal to about 46.1 million adults, confirming (like the one in 2010) as the most extensive and in-depth sector analysis never carried out in Italy. Overall, the majority of the Emilia-Romagna people say they are in favor of hunting as it is now in Italy, i.e. regulated and sustainable, among these above the average there are men between 18 and 24 years old, residents in the municipalities beyond under 30 thousand inhabitants and residents in areas that include Parks. On the contrary, the hostiles are for the most part women, over 44 years old, residing in cities with more than 30 thousand inhabitants, completely uninformed about hunting activities.
Clear and widespread information on hunting therefore appears once again to be the fundamental factor, it is evident in fact that a public opinion aware of the fact that 'wild' hunting is not allowed in Italy would be even more favorable to the current hunting activity, in how responsible and sustainable. It is confirmed that the game for or against hunting is being played in Emilia Romagna, as well as in Italy, on the so-called group of "semi-neighbors", which extend as information on the current constraints of hunting activity. The sociologist Enrico Finzi - who carried out the survey with AstraRicerche - intervened directly for the presentation of the data, while the conclusion of the conference was entrusted to the interventions of the Presidents of the CNCN Giovanni Ghini, of Federcaccia Gian Luca Dall'Olio, of Arcicaccia Osvaldo Venetian and of Free Hunting Paolo Sparvoli.
Below is a brief summary of the data relating to Emilia-Romagna.
NEARBY - The first area explored is that of the personal relationship of the Emilia-Romagna people with hunting. As many as 57% (increasing) are in some way close to hunting or because they practice it, or because they accompany others in their hunting activities, or because they have family or friends who are hunters, or finally because they have been or are hunters.
KNOWLEDGE - In fact, only 18% know absolutely nothing about hunting and hunters, while 25% have some information on hunting activities but being totally unrelated to them. Not hunters but close to family / friends / etc. 48% of the sample are engaged in hunting activities (especially elderly people and residents in municipalities of less than 30 thousand inhabitants). Ex-hunters are 5% and are characterized by being overly men and 45-54 years old. Those who go hunting but do not shoot are 2%, the same figure reached by real hunters, a stable figure compared to three years ago.
THE PROFILE - The profile of those who go hunting sees the predominance of men, of the less than 35 years old, of the residents in the medium-small municipalities. This refutes the thesis, widespread also in the hunting world, that hunting would be a predominantly 'old' activity typical of the 'lower' and marginal social groups.
JUDGMENT / CONSENT - The second area analyzed is that of the judgment about hunting which sees both the prevalence of positive evaluations and the increase of the latter (with a significant 'gain' in three years). The social consensus towards hunters was then verified. It emerged that those who engage in hunting activities are subject in Emilia-Romagna to a more favorable judgment than that which concerns hunting: in fact, sympathetic people reach 68% of the adult population, with a recent increase of over seven points. percentages.
INFORMATION - Crucial is always the question of information on hunting, deepened by first checking the knowledge of eighteen limits to the exercise of hunting, only four of which are known by less than half of the Emilia-Romagna sample. In fact, compared to the previous survey, the information on this matter appears to have grown considerably: the trend of the last three years shows the decrease in total or semi-total ignorant people from 37% to 34%, evidently due to the success of the communication strategies implemented from the hunting world. The existence of a very strong statistical correlation between the notoriety of the rules, the consensus for them and the good evaluation of hunting is confirmed: those who declare themselves hostile to hunting are, in fact, much less informed than the average. These constraints, among other things, are always approved and supported - in all eighteen cases - by the majority of the 18-80 year old population of this region: the trend shows a further increase in consensus on the matter.
ANIMALISM AND ENVIRONMENTALISM - On the occasion of this study, issues not addressed in 2010 were also analyzed, starting with animal rights culture, whose weight is less than 3 points compared to all of Italy (from 51 to 48%). The animalism index is higher among women, over 44-year-olds, residents of small municipalities, among those who know little or nothing about hunting activities. The attitudes of the Emiliano-Romagnoli are here not only conflicting but also often ambivalent, the truth is that many subjects who declare themselves animal rights are not at all hostile to the killing of animals under certain conditions. Only 20% of the Emiliano-Romagnoli are resolutely hostile to any killing of an animal, while 64% selectively accept it and 16% approve it unconditionally.
The favor for animal welfare organizations was also explored, unreservedly approved by 48% and criticized by 52% (in two cases out of three with particular virulence). Only 18% argue that they would do better to deal with the rights and problems of humans that are far more important than animals, while in general they differ greatly from ecological organizations, which enjoy a much broader consensus and in many cases are deemed independent and better. Animalism appears weakened by many incongruous behaviors and that is by the fact that 85% of the residents in this region eat meat, 84% fish, 37% game (also in the form of condiments such as pappardelle with wild boar, etc. ) for which concrete and coherent animalism does not exceed 15% while concrete ecology is full and coherent for 44% and in any case significant for another 43%.
CNC Press OfficeN
Face Italia Secretariat
(December 2, 2013)