Observatory on contemporary families

The Prénatal Retail Group’s Observatory of Contemporary Families was set up in 2020 with the aim of generating value, enhancing the connection with Italian families and bringing to the stakeholders’ and public opinion’s attention some indicators that guide and influence their dynamics and attitudes, with surveys on both demographic samples and panels of Group’s employees.

With the scientific support of an experienced partner, BVA-DOXA, the Observatory focused on three social research projects so far: “La sfida dei genitori italiani nell’Italia del 2020” (“The challenge of Italian parents in the Italy of 2020″), which investigated the values and milestones of family life before and after the pandemic. The second project “Figli? Sì! 3 italiani su 4 pensano a un figlio nei prossimi 5 anni” (“Children? Yes! 3 Italians out of 4 are thinking of having a child in the next 5 years”) analysed the propensity to parenthood in a sample of 25–40-year-old Italians.
In 2021, the third social research project was carried out, centred on the topic of Sustainability. The survey “Sostenibilità: una pratica sospesa tra il dire e il fare” (“Sustainability: a practice suspended between saying and doing”) was created with the aim of understanding how many people really know and apply this often-quoted word in their daily lives. The survey involved a panel of 1,948 people, of which 1,000 were parents of 0-14 years-old children and 948 PRG employees. Based on the results obtained, around 2 Italians out of 3 state to be distant and not very involved and only 28% express real awareness. On the other hand, among Group’s employees, the vast majority (64%) considers it strategic suppliers’ engagement and compliance with social and environmental responsibility.

The activities and contents produced by the Observatory are also of high interest to the Italian media: data from the first surveys were taken up by major daily newspapers and press agencies, business, lifestyle and sector publications at National level, generating over 135 articles over the two-year period 2020-2021.