A BVA Doxa research for Virtuo shed light on the relationship between Milan citizens and their car: the shift towards sustainable mobility has to deal ...
The pandemic undermines old habits and opens up new forms of mobility and young people between 18 and 25 are the ones most willing to completely change their habits. Sharing is no longer frightening, 6 out of 10 want car sharing, “green” cities are also becoming increasingly more popular, and 9 out of 10 ask for 100% ecological fuels. Italians are “car lovers” and, in fact, 85% of their cars remain indispensable. Meanwhile, traditional insurance is also evolving, leaving room for new multimodal policies. These are some of the data from the research conducted by BVA Doxa for Groupama Assicurazioni which draws the situation of Italy on the move in 2030.
The pandemic leaves its mark: in the next 10 years, 1 in 2 Italians (53%) say they are ready to substantially review their habits in terms of mobility, an effect of Covid19. The pandemic is affecting the forms and means of transport that will guide travel in Italy in the future. This was revealed by a BVA Doxa research for the “Change Lab, Italy 2030” Observatory carried out by Groupama Assicurazioni – the first branch of the French Groupama Group and one of the main players in the insurance sector in Italy – which wanted to investigate the main trends that will change by 2030 the lifestyle habits of Italians, starting from the analysis of the impact that the recent pandemic has had on mobility in our country.
THE SHARED MOBILITY – If today – due to the fear of Covid19 – a certain reluctance to use shared means of transport still persists (currently only 3 out of 10 Italians declare they use car sharing services), the trend is definitely reversed looking in the next decade, with a strong increase in alternative mobility formulas: more than 6 out of 10 Italians (62%) declare they are ready for a shared mobility; 4 out of 10 (40%) to use diversified means according to the needs of movement; 36% are also willing to use only ecological vehicles, while 9 out of 10 dream of 100% green fuels. The very young (18-25 years old) are the most prone to change.
LOOKING AT THE FUTURE, BUT WITH A CONNECTION TO THE PRESENT – The research also reveals that in 10 years for 85% of the interviewees, the “family” car will continue to be an indispensable asset (today it is for 93%): 6 out of 10 will not stop using their car on a daily basis . However, it won’t be the only choice for getting around the city: Italians are also open to bicycles, scooters, sharing, public transport and new habits. Then there is the need for a multimodal and flexible insurance, which follows the person and no longer the vehicle: 3 out of 10 Italians would subscribe immediately.
ITALIANS ARE “CAR LOVERS”: LOYAL TO THEIR CAR, BUT OPEN TO NEW MOBILITIES –
Currently 9 out of 10 Italians cannot live without their car: only 7% believe it is possible to give it up, but in fact almost all (97%) of the interviewees declare that they have at least one car in their family and more than 7 out of 10 confirm to use it as a preferred means of transport both in everyday life (72%) and for trips outside the city (79%). However, a surprising figure concerns the over 55s, who consider it less essential to own a car for 33%. There is also an interesting correlation between the size of the municipality of residence and the possibility of living without a car: the percentage varies from 5% for those who live in small towns (<10,000 inhabitants) to 10% for those who live in large towns. city (> 100,000 inhabitants).
And what will change in ten years? 2 out of 10 Italians (18%) expect not to have a single main means of transport available in the future, but to choose from time to time the most congenial means of transport based on the journey they will have to face. In the forecasts of the interviewees, the “family” car will still be among the most commonly used vehicles (76%), preceding the owned bicycles (23%) and public transport (15%). In short, the car will certainly remain a comfortable and sometimes necessary vehicle, but not necessarily the one chosen for any type of travel. Among the most inclined to change their habits, certainly the very young between 18 and 25 years old (66%).
CAR SHARING: 6 OUT OF 10 READY TO USE IT REGULARLY – According to data from the Groupama Observatory, currently only 3 out of 10 Italians (29%) have used the car sharing service at least once; 4 out of 10 if we consider young people under 35. Scooter sharing and bike sharing are less used: respectively 12% and 21% of the sample (the latter figure rises to 28% only in large cities). Almost all of the interviewees (94%) are fully satisfied with the car sharing service: they appreciate the savings in time (54%) and money (47%) and the lower environmental impact (34%). Scooter sharing shows very similar values for levels and reasons of satisfaction. As for bike sharing, the level of satisfaction is slightly lower (86%): in general, 1 user out of 2 appreciates its low environmental impact, while the inefficiency of the service is cited among the reasons for dissatisfaction (38 %), inconvenience (31%), lack of points of use (31%) and costs (31%).
WHAT FUTURE FOR THE SHARING? – The car sharing service will be much more used in the next 10 years: 62% of the sample interviewed are convinced that they will use it. Bike sharing should also see a surge in users, given that about 1 in 2 Italians imagine being able to use this service. Scooter sharing, on the other hand, will be chosen by 3 out of 10. Young people between 18 and 34 say they are the most likely to use shared mobility, more so for men.
THE RISE OF A GREEN AWARENESS AND A SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY – It is clear to everyone that bicycles, e-bikes, scooters and electric scooters are now becoming precious allies in every daily commute: cities and citizens are discovering the benefits of a new mobility, with a more markedly green character. While it is true that currently almost all of the sample interviewed declared that they have at least one car in their family, 1 in 2 confirms that they also have electric or manual bike and / or scooter.
However, the diffusion of light mobility vehicles on the territory is highly uneven: it ranges from 65% in northern Italy to 38% in the south and the islands, passing through 50% in the center. In any case, the Italians are all in full agreement on one fact: even in terms of mobility, the environment – looking to 2030 – must be increasingly protected. And how? For 35%, limiting or even abolishing the use of polluting vehicles in the city; for 36% using only ecological means of transport and for 3 out of 10 Italians (29%) using multimodal mobility for travel: more means and forms of transport, even shared, and less polluting. In the center, those most inclined to multi-modality (37%), while in the north-west the most convinced to say goodbye to cars in urban centers (39%) to solve the problem of pollution.
GREEN CITIES: DREAMING OF FULL ELECTRIC CARS AND 100% ECOLOGICAL FUELS – Thinking about the changes they would like to see implemented in cities in the next 10 years, about 1 in 2 respondents (48%) indicate an increase in cycle paths and a greater presence of public transport (47%) as a goal for 2030, thus confirming a trend towards inter-modality. For 1 in 3 interviewees, on the other hand, in urban centers there should be parking spaces hidden from view (33%) or circulation should even be banned to reduce city smog (30%). Young people are certainly those most likely to use bikes: 52% would like more cycle paths and 32% even more bike sharing stations. The results of the survey show, in the projections to the future, a population even more attentive to environmental issues: almost all in fact expect the adoption of 100% ecological fuels (89%) and full electric cars (81%).
On the other hand, expectations towards a total disappearance of owned cars in favor of shared cars are a little colder, the possibility of which is expected by almost 1 in 4 Italians (38%). Among the most popular futuristic innovations in terms of mobility, there is also the use of self-driving cars, desired by 62% of the sample; and the possibility of having cars capable of lengthening or shortening according to the availability of parking (42%).
MAIN TAKEAWAY: FLEXIBILITY; THE INSURANCE NEEDS TO CHANGE – By changing the way Italians move, their needs also change, with a natural impact on the insurance sector in favor of the concept of multimodal mobility, which promises to be one of the trends for the coming years.
Flexibility is now a “must”: according to data from the Groupama Observatory, 31% of the sample interviewed feel the need for insurance linked more to the person than to individual means of ownership; a policy capable of covering all trips, including those made through sharing services. This solution is especially popular with younger people, who would prefer it in 37% of cases, on an equal footing with the proposal to insure all owned means of transport in a single solution.
