(ANSA) - Italians no longer appear to cultivate big dreams and have downsized their wishes to obtaining material goods or fame, according to a new study. The study, commission by the Meta communications group, concluded that when Italians gaze at Wednesday night's shooting stars, on the Feast of St Lawrence, they will more than likely wish for a new car, to become a TV 'personality'
or to marry a soccer player.
Based on 120 interviews of Italian men (45%) and women (55%) between the ages of 17 and 45, a pool of 40 psychologists found that some 45% of Italians no longer entertain big dreams, because 39% are focused on material possessions and 27% have dreams in someway related to TV.
According to the study, the wishes of 71% of the men interviewed had to do with the home, not because they dreamed of owning a castle, but because they wished they did not have to pay their mortgages.
Italian men no longer dream of inheriting an unexpected fortune or creating a big company to obtain wealth but prefer to hit the jackpot in the national lottery, the study found. However, even though 55% of men in the study said they would like to hit the jackpot, another 64% said they would be happy to have a new car and 59% wished they could have a better paying job.
Love took a backseat in men's dreams to material possession and ranked only sixth in their wish list,
interesting only 47% of those interviewed, behind fame which was a dream for 51%.
According to the study, 35% of men on the Night of the Shooting Stars will wish for good weather during their holidays, while 29% will ask to be far way from any act of terrorism. A home was also the first thing on the wish list of women, for 68%, while 61% said they wanted to be famous in order to not have to deal with the hassles of day-to-day life.
Being famous, however, did not involve winning an Oscar, but had more to do with being a TV showgirl or hostess or, even better, winning a reality show. The study found that while women were more interested in love then men, 'Mr Right' could not be some poor poet but had to offer guarantees and have a high-paying job like a soccer player or TV star.
Although having a good job was the dream of 43% of the women interviewed, another 46% said they wished they could just win the lottery to get rich. In its conclusions, the study said that "our big dreams have changed and become more pragmatic. Becoming a great explorer, travelling in space or finding Prince Charming are no longer even considered to be dreams or something to wish for. These have been replaced by more concrete things: a new car or a love affair with a famous soccer player."
Two out of three of the psychologists involved in the study said this change was a form of self-defence, because having big or unrealistic dreams only set the stage for big disappointments.
