Pagnoncelli’s survey on Silvio Berlusconi-Corriere.it

The death of Silvio Berlusconi closes an era of our country, an important piece of its history. A period marked by profound social, economic, political and institutional transformations. It was not only the period of bipolarism, but also that of globalization, of changing customs, of the transformation of the ways of relating and communicating. And Berlusconi was the protagoniststarting from the formation of the common sense of our citizens through the television networks, a way of exercising cultural hegemony, also bringing to light and enhancing the Italian way of being.

In marking an era, Berlusconi was for a character who created strong feelings of closeness and distance, of adhesion and criticism, when not of love and hate. This effect is confirmed by our survey. The main exponent of the second republic continues to divide Italians into almost equal parts. The 42% of our interviewees in fact draw a positive balance of Berlusconi’s thirty years: naturally the closest voters do (83% among those who vote FI, three quarters in the other two centre-right formations) and the profile of Italians close to Berlusconi confirms characteristics already seen: entrepreneurs and professionals, residents of the North, the less young, Catholics, heavy television users. On the other hand, a slightly lower percentage draws a negative balance: 39%. And the same divisions return: centre-left voters, young people, non-believers, residents of the centre-north, newspaper readers.

Even with regard to the relationship with Italy, opinions differ: if in fact 45% believes that he has received more from Italy than he has given, il 37% instead he believes the opposite, seeing the balance of giving and taking leaning in favor of the founder of the centre-right. It is not worth dwelling further on the differences: they are basically the same as we have indicated before.

But the fact that really highlights the perception of his role in these long years related to his influence on the customs and ideas of our compatriots. What a powerful state. In fact, almost half of the interviewees believe that Berlusconi has had a profound influence on the values, attitudes and opinions of Italians, while only a quarter believe that the leader of Forza Italia limited himself to bringing out traits already deeply present among our compatriots. . It is interesting to note in this case the non-obvious profile of those who believe that the influence on the change of our way of being has prevailed. This option prevails across all electorates: even those who have opposed its contents and methods recognize this characteristic in Berlusconi. And in the same way, the doubts are transversal: those who believe that all in all they have done nothing but mainly give voice to what already existed in the belly of the country (25% of Italians) more present among centre-left voters (always to a minority extent), but also remains important among centre-right voters, up to the 37% of those who vote for the League. It is uncertain voters or abstentionists who reduce this belief to the minimum terms, making it more difficult than others to express an opinion on the issue.

Finally, an evaluation of the current positioning of Come on Italy. The 33% considers it a moderate, liberal democratic and pro-European party, the 22% a populist, charismatic and personal party, the 14%, a conservative, sovereign and eurosceptic party, the rest cannot express themselves. very interesting is the fact that the current voters of Forza Italia accentuate the first two characteristics: for the 40% liberal democrat and pro-European and for the 22% charismatic and personal party. Seizing in the second aspect simply a way of being of the first formation of this type in our country that had an extraordinary impact on the electorate (other leading parties were already born, such as the Northern League, but they weren’t exactly personal parties, according to the definition by Mauro Calise).

In essence, Silvio Berlusconi is a leader who has profoundly affected our history and our journey, and which has deeply divided the country, between supporters and detractors. A leader who took and gave, but who for everyone, in some way, gave shape to a different country from the past.

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