Social pattern of Roma non – Roma relations and prevailing stereotypes and prejudices as derive from the in- depth interviews and opinion survey realized in the region of Friuli-Venezia- Giulia Prof. Antonietta Piacquadio International Institute for High Legal and Economic Studies for Development (IGES), Gorizia, Italy REDUPRE CONCLUDING WORKSHOP May 2013 Maribor, Slovenia

80 Italian non Roma people (47,5% male and 52,5% female) 20 Italian Roma/Sinti people (15% male and 85% female) Males are generally more subject than Females to prejudices significant differences in the level of prejudices based on age of the respondents; level of education of the higher is the level of education the lower is the relevance of prejudices and stereotypes non Roma and Roma having contacts (at different levels: housing, work, school…) with each other are less subject to prejudices Many prejudices are directly linked to media Few of the respondents are willing to recognize specific rights to all minorities and immigrants, they prefer to distinguish different minorities by geographical and ethnic origin. Very present is the equation CRIMINALS=RUMANIANS=ROMA STATISTICAL SAMPLE COMPOSED BY 100 RESPONDENTS

typical stereotypes it clearly emerges that for both gender groups (males and females) Roma/Sinti are still mainly nomads the more right oriented are the respondents the more evident are the prejudices and the stereotypes The main stereotypes and prejudices emerging from the analysis of the survey questionnaire are the following: nomads criminals self excluded lazy Between Roma there are quite significant differences in the answers between older and younger generations: younger people are less linked to traditions and are more open to dialogue, while older people gave a lot (about 80% in some cases) of do not know answers. The age of the respondents was proportionally distributed between different ages. STATISTICAL SAMPLE COMPOSED BY 100 RESPONDENTS

difficulty to involve non Italian Roma representatives and Roma people in the project forced IGES to concentrate attention on the italian Roma/Sinti minority as a sample. The situation with Italian Sinti has been a little bit easier, but also in this case the involvement of these communities within the project activities has not been immediate and completely satisfactory. General demographic and socio-economic comparison between Roma and non-Roma socio-economic point of view unemployed: 60% Roma10% non Roma living in houses they own 15% Roma 50% non Roma Roma – precarious job – less paid –generally in black Roma: difficulties to say which class they belong (35% social sit. Worsened) Roma: perception of worsening of eco. situation in last 2 years Religious issues: Catholics – 80% non Roma 75% Roma

Ethnicity: Roma stated that there were not Roma but Italians (60%), fear and refusal in the identification as Roma education, more than 80% Roma does not have a diploma, below 30% for non-Roma family ties, Roma are married 75% non-Roma 25%, divorce is not an option for Roma (0%) and if they are not living with the wife or the husband they live with parents 90% political participation Roma weak point, do not have any political preference (25%) or are apolitical housing issue 55% Roma are living in barracks or camps (the rest 45%live in flat of social housing), Generally Roma families are bigger than non Rome and the houses are smaller if compared to that of non-Roma.

COMPARISON BETWEEN ROMA AND NON ROMA 2 ND PART OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE PREJUDICES AND DISCRIMINATION There is a huge problem of mutual distrust, ignorance and stereotypic behaviors The main problematic aspects which emerged from the survey in a comparative perspective are : Roma are not interested in public participation (70%), do not believe in democracy and democratic participation (60%), also non-Roma showed a high level of distrust in democratic and participatory processes (40%) but lower than the Roma The biggest problem and worry for both groups is unemployment and the consequent poverty, even if this percentage is about 80% for Roma and about 65% for non-Roma The second and the third biggest problem within Italian society are for both groups social inequality(around 35% of respondents) and lower quality of public and social services (45% of Roma and 22,5% of non Roma) Roma are also indifferent to the economic system as a whole (65%) while non-Roma are mostly critics (50%)

worrying answers concerning freedom of speech, fundamental rights, corruption and bribery, laws, social rights 50% of interviewed Roma do not have an idea, while something as 30% of non Italians are not considering these aspects as essential both groups showed prejudices and discriminatory behaviors towards other minorities or immigrants (about 60%) and moreover there is the idea that the process of Eu integration s not something so positive (45% of Roma and 55% non Roma). non Roma (about 35%) are hardly against Roma presence BUT T is also a significant component of non Roma who is convinced (30%) that Roma are hardly discriminate in Italy and that this situation should change asap STEREOTYPES EMERGED Roma are nomads (50% of non Roma), thieves (40%), lazy and dirty (45%), wild (35%), dishonest (45%), noisy (40%), musical (50%),