The Italian way to integration: using census data for measuring integration of population with foreign background

Donatella Zindato, Instituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)
Lorenzo Cassata, Instituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)
Fabrizio Martire, Instituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)

Census data represent a precious source for measuring the socio-economic dimensions of integration, allowing to analyse in details the differences between the numerous foreign communities which make up Italy’s heterogeneous population with foreign background, and often such data are the only one available at the national level. In the paper, after a brief summary on the Italian debate concerning the measure and monitoring of integration, a description will be provided of the indicators defined for each dimensions and of the criteria followed for selecting them. Both a descriptive and a multidimensional analysis have been conducted (by the technique of the principal components analysis). In order to take into account the dynamic character of integration, two main groups have been compared, the foreign citizens and the naturalized citizens, while the first one has been further subdivided into 4 sub-groups identified on the basis of the duration of residence in the country.