INTERGENERATIONAL AND INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE
The dialogue among different social groups and different generations is conditioned by problems of language, trust and cohabitation. This research project aimed at finding out the level of communication existing between the interviewed people and people of different age or immigrants. A special questionnaire was prepared: the interviewees were asked to specify for each age group how they judge the people belonging to it, how they are judged by them and the most frequent topics of conversation. This basic plan was integrated with questions about the sharing of ideas, the propensity of living together and other information. The questionnaires were distributed to the students of the Vicenza University of the Third Age in 1997. Of the 1.153 questionnaires collected, 25% came from men and 75% from women. The research highlighted that the difficulties in communication increase as the age gap widens. In the present situation, therefore, the transmission of values results increasingly troublesome. However, it also resulted that those who live near people of different cultures are more inclined to dialogue.
1. As far the intergenerational dialogue is concerned, three different
levels were found:
a) Older people: interviewees believe that older people consider them
as trustworthy (72.1%) and trustful (48.6%); older people consider themselves
as attached to the past (79.2%), wise and rich in experience (85.9%), well
balanced in judgements (70.3%). With them, people talk about problems of
health (55.7%), about life in the past (55.0%), about their family (49.0%).
b) Adults (35-50) and young adults (21-35): interviewees believe that
adults and young adults consider them as having the same ideas (adults
46.3%, young adults 21.2%) but also as being a little old-fashioned (adults
15.8%, young 26.3%) and creatures of habit (adults 32%, young 36.5%). Adults
and young adults believe themselves to be absorbed by work (adults 90.9%,
young adults 75.8%), brisk and not very sociable (adults 54.9% e young
adults 57.5%), not very sensible to religious and moral problems (adults
79.7% e young adults 75.0%). With them, people talk about family problems
(adults 39.4%, young adults 43.9%) and about ways of living and working
(adults 58.9%, young adults 69.5%), but not much about religion (adults
12.9%, young adults 16.9%) or politics (adults 28.2%, young adults 19.6%).
c) Young people (15-20) and kids (11-14): the interviewees believe
that young people and kids consider them as old-fashioned (young people
20.9%, kids 24.9%) but disposed to dialogue (young people 52.6%, kids 43%).
Young people and kids believe themselves to be conditioned by fashion (young
people 86.7%, kids 81.4%), absent-minded and superficial (young people
67%, kids 57.6%), committed to school (young people 60.7%, kids 50.4%)
and eager to have fun (young people 92.6%). With them, people talk about
school and education (young people 73.3%, kids 58.9%), lifestyle (clothes,
fun, friendships..) (young people 69.8%, kids 54.9%) but not about religion
(young people 86%, kids 78%) or politics. The non-dialogue percentage is
increasing (young people 27.8%, kids 42.7%).
2. As to dialogue, 3% refuse it with everybody, and the non-dialogue percentage increases with young adults (13%), young people (27.8%) and kids (42.7%). They always talk about family, education, school, lifestyle and work, less and less about religion and politics (religion: older people 20.7%, adults 12.9%, young adults 16.9%, kids 14.4%; politics: older people 24%, adults 28.2%, young adults 19.6%, young people 5.2%). Also about the problems of city life, dialogue progressively decreases (older people 37.5%, adults 27.9%, young adults 21.4%, young people 16.8%, kids 17.2%). There seems to be some mutual acceptation at least as dialoguing people: older people 48.6%, adults 46.3%, young adults 21.2%, young people 19.4%, kids 18%.
3. The sharing of ideas: People share ideas less and less as the age gap widens: older people 72.2%, adults 84.7%, young adults 75%, young people 51.7%, kids 49.5%. The crisis is above all with young people and kids, if we consider also the non-dialogue percentage. People stay together satisfactorily: with older people 83.8%, with adults 90%, with young adults 80.2%, with young people 58.2%, with kids 52.9%. As to the sharing of voluntary service activities and dwelling, the previous trend is confirmed: voluntary service (older people 44.8%, adults 81.9%, young adults 58.1%, young people 35.8%, kids 34.4%), dwelling (older people 30.4%, adults 86.1%, young adults 61%. young people 33.3%, kids 28%).
4. As to immigrants, people fear the increase in criminality (74.7%). Theoretically people acknowledge immigrants’ rights (69.3%) and think they are useful (72.7%). People, however, would not like to live with them in case of need (57.5%) and would not like a member of their family to marry one (58.6%). Most of the people are convinced that immigrants should conform to local habits (78.2%).