Polls & Research

Few Italians Satisfied with Prodi’s Government

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Italy are displeased with their current national administration, according to a poll by Arnaldo Ferrari Nasi published in Il Giornale. 73.2 per cent of respondents have little or no confidence in the government of Romano Prodi.

Italian voters renewed the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in April 2006. The Union, led by Prodi, secured 348 seats in the lower house and 158 seats in the upper house. The victory put an end to the government of the centre-right House of Freedom (Casa), headed by Berlusconi.

In May 2006, Prodi was formally appointed as prime minister. The Union leader had previously served as head of government from May 1996 to October 1998.

Yesterday, Prodi ordered schools in Naples to re-open despite a garbage collection crisis, saying, "The children who stay away from school are not going to the Aosta Valley or to the Dolomites, but will remain in the area with the same polluted atmosphere. If there is an emergency situation in any school, I’ll send (crews) tonight."

Naples’ garbage trucks stopped operating in late December, after the city’s landfills were overrun. European Union (EU) environment commissioner Stavros Dimas hinted at possible legal action against Italy, saying, "If we decide to go to the second stage of the procedure, it is clear that declarations of goodwill will not be enough. The Italian authorities must act, take concrete and immediate measures to resolve the situation keeping the needs of public health and the environment in mind."

Polling Data

How much confidence do you have in the government of Romano Prodi?

A lot of confidence	6.5%
Some confidence	19.8%
Little confidence	30.3%
No confidence at all	42.9%

Source: Arnaldo Ferrari Nasi / Il Giornale
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 650 Italian adults, conducted on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5, 2007. No margin of error was provided.