The results of a study conducted by Lattanzio KIBS and FIERI for UNHCR on the socio-economic conditions of international and temporary protection holders in Italy have been published.

The survey, the first of this scale in our Italy and one of the first in Europe, reveals a situation of severe structural disadvantage.

As many as 67% of those interviewed live in relative poverty, i.e. they have an income below 60% of the national median. This figure is four times higher than that of Italians and almost double that of EU foreigners as a whole.

No less worrying gaps emerge when considering other parameters, such as “severe social and material deprivation”, understood as the inability to guarantee oneself and one’s family decent living conditions, adequate food and housing, or a minimum level of leisure.

It is important to emphasise that such high levels of economic hardship are not due to a lack of commitment to work. On the contrary, the activity rate in our sample is higher than both Italians and other foreigners.

This grim picture is undoubtedly affected by what is known in the literature as the “refugee gap”, which depends on specific factors such as trauma and the fragility of social networks.

However, the enormous inequalities highlighted by the research cannot be explained without considering also the role of policies. Very long waiting times for asylum applications to be processed and the absence of any specific support after recognition make Italy a particularly disadvantageous environment for those fleeing war and persecution.