Among all European citizens, Italians most overestimate the percentage of migrants present in their country. According to a recent study, Italians estimated the number of migrants to be 18 percent higher than the actual number.
Italians are the Europeans who most overestimate the percentage of migrants in their country, with a total 18 percent higher than the actual number, according to a study by the Cattaneo Institute in Bologna using Eurobarometer data.
The data shows that the number of migrants actually present in the country is 7 percent, while Italians estimate or perceive migration to be at 25 percent. The study also revealed that Italians show the "highest level of hostility towards immigration and religious minorities".
Italians have highest perception error
Regarding the presence of migrants estimated by citizens in each of the EU member states, the study revealed "the perception error committed by the Italians is the highest among all EU countries". It said the other countries that had a "perceptive error" slightly less than Italy were Portugal (14.6 percent higher), Spain (+14.4 percent), and the United Kingdom (+12.8 percent). The countries with the lowest percentages between true migration and perceived migration were the Scandinavian countries of Sweden (+0.3 percent) Denmark (+2.2 percent) and Finland (+2.6 percent), as well as some central-eastern European countries, including Estonia (1.1 percent lower than the actual number) and Croatia (+0.1 percent).
The study said as the level of hostility towards migrants increases, so does the perception error of the migrant presence in the country. It said Italy is the country in the most "extreme" position, characterized by "the highest level of hostility towards immigration and religious minorities". Italians also had a higher perception in other areas.
For example, 74 percent of Italians in the survey responded that they believe criminality increases as the migrant presence increases, compared to the European average of 57 percent. In addition, 58 percent of Italians believe increased migration decreases employment for Italians, compared to a European average of 41 percent.
More Italians also believe that migrants are a weight on the social welfare system - 62 percent of Italians compared to the European average of 59 percent.
Migration to Italy down 80 percent in 2018, nearly 200,000 arrivals
Since the beginning of this year, 19,761 migrants have disembarked in Italy, representing an 80 percent drop on 2017 figures for the same time period, when 98,316 migrants had arrived. The most recent Interior Ministry data show that arrivals began to drop in July 2017. Of the nearly 20,000 arrivals, 12,322 departed from Libya, with an 87 percent decrease on the same period (January 1-August 20) in 2017. Thus far in August, there have been 1,215 arrivals.