The integrated project “Containment of the low birth rate” is launched at the instigation of Vice President Gerosa. The Agency for Social Cohesion of the Autonomous Province of Trento has activated, in collaboration and synergy with the University of Trento, the Franco Demarchi Foundation, the Provincial Health Services Authority, and Ispat.
From Agenzia per la Coesione Sociale
A research project aims to formulate analyses from which to start to develop possible economic policies and measures that can support the containment of the low birth rate and the creation of new families. The activity has already begun and will continue throughout 2025. For this scientific project, following the update of the address act for the university and research, the Department of Sociology and Social Research of the University of Trento is planning to activate a research grant. “I have chosen the path of the scientific approach to develop new policies, starting from an analysis of different data and contexts”, said Vice President Gerosa.
The birth rate is increasing, not only in Italy but also in Trentino. However, with different numbers, the vice president and councilor for family policies and birth rate Francesca Gerosa, in synergy with councilor Achille Spinelli, is studying new strategies to slow it down and reverse the demographic curve. In the provincial strategy of the legislature of the provincial body, the theme of the family is central: from this premise, the Province, through the Agency for Social Cohesion, has decided to avail itself of the scientific support of a team of partners, such as the University of Trento, Fondazione Demarchi, Apss, and Ispat for a research project called “Containment of the birth rate”.
“The aim of the research is to collect data and information that can be useful for identifying integrated interventions, aimed at supporting and promoting the well-being of families, social cohesion, family life projects and parenthood – commented Vice President Francesca Gerosa, The Demarchi Foundation and the University of Trento, in collaboration and synergy, will proceed with an intense activity of analysis, research and evaluation. The resources made available by the Province for the implementation of the project will also be used to finance a post-graduate research grant. The activity – she added – includes the analysis of existing data from Ispat sources and from surveys and panels that will be studied and carried out ad hoc by Apss on the conditions linked to birth rates in Trentino; the analysis of national and international scientific socio-demographic literature on the role of public policies in relation to fertility; the mapping of existing measures in the field of family policies and, finally, a comparative analysis of the policies present in European countries in order to identify good practices and models developed, to understand how to review current policies and implement new solutions.”
“The Council has revised the 2023-2025 University and Research Policy Act to approve additional collaborative activities in areas of particular interest, including policies to support birth rates,” said Provincial Councilor for Economic Development, Labor, University, and Research Achille Spinelli. “The issue of birth rates,” he added, “is at the heart of the objectives of our legislative strategy and is one of the most important challenges for the future of our community.”
In recent decades, Italy has seen a gradual trend of demographic decline and an increase in generational imbalances. Istat data (2021) show that much of the reduction in fertility in the last decade is attributable to the collapse of births under 35, due to the prolonged permanence in the family of origin, which pushes young people to delay the transition to an independent life. The average age of leaving the family of origin in Italy is around 30 years. According to Ispat data, in 2021, young people between 25 and 34 years old who live with at least one parent are 46.7%. This situation can be traced back to multiple factors, including the prolongation of training times, the difficulties in entering the world of work, the widespread instability of work, the need to adapt to irregular or underpaid jobs, and the challenges in accessing the housing market.
“To define public policies and consequent interventions and measures, we believe an analytical, scientific approach is necessary, which allows, through a careful and competent analysis of the various factors and data, as well as of the policies active in other countries, a multi-level evaluation to define proposals that are also evolutionary” – concluded Vice President Gerosa.