What are the family characteristics that better help to cope with the economic crisis? Evidence from a large population survey in Italy

In an international context sorely tested by years of economic crisis, the socio-economic situation of Italian families appears to be tough: the crisis has progressively reduced families' standard of living and it has also contributed to changes in several areas of family life. This chapter presents a study aimed at exploring which factors are likely to have the greatest impact in helping families to cope with the economic challenges in Italy. In particular, we focused on the capacity to save money (vs. fall into debt) as a marker of the ability to cope with the crisis and analyzed whether and how some family structural and relational characteristics impacted on this capacity. Design/methodology/approach: Using data from a recent large population survey on family relations in Italy (2,039 parents interviewed with the CAPI system), we compared two groups of people: those who, in the current economic crisis, manage to save money and those who are forced to fall into debt. Findings: With regard to the structural characteristics, those who are self-employed, have a high level of educational qualification, live in Northern Italy, and are in their first marriage are more likely to save money. Moreover, with regard to relational characteristics, couple satisfaction, co-parenting, primary social capital, and trust in institutions are good predictors of the ability to save money. Implications for both research and policies are discussed.