ROMA – Is a joint will a gift? It is the reflection that the Solidarity Testament Committee proposes on the eve of Giving Tuesdaythe international day dedicated to generosity, before the Christmas holidays and the great shopping rush. “The joint will is a gift that nourishes and strengthens the social bond – explains the anthropologist Paolo Apolito, who has collaborated on the topic with the Committee on the occasion of the presentation of the latest research on “Values, donations and charitable legacies”, created by Walden Lab-Eumetra.
The gift as a producer of social relationships. Dal ‘Essay on the gift‘ which Marcel Mauss published in the 1920s, anthropologists have long discussed and discussed the topic of the gift. Always keeping in mind that the gift is a producer of social relationships, since it calls for reciprocation and implies reciprocity. In other words, the gift is inserted into a fruitful dynamic of social exchange.
The symmetrical and asymmetrical shape. There is its symmetrical and asymmetrical form, it can provide balance, but also disequilibrium as a symbolic form of conflict. In general the gift is never entirely a gift, it always retains its ‘tail’ returning home, returning to the donor. Even the totally free gift, the one in which the donor expects nothing in return, has its own return-home, since, as the French philosopher Derrida underlines, the donor’s self-gratification is in itself the cancellation of total gratuitousness. And this is not a bad thing, in the case of a joint will: a ‘final’ positive feeling for oneself and for others”.
The reluctance of Italians towards the will. According to the research, conducted in June this year on a representative sample of Italians over 25, in Italy, making a will remains a distant topic for the majority: in 2024, 7 out of 10 Italians do not consider it, and the share of those who are against is stable at 71% (against 72% in 2023). The 18% who have already made a will or intend to do so also remain unchanged (it was 19% in 2023). The first reason for not making a will is the desire that the assets go exclusively and directly to the legitimate heirs (44%).
But things are changing. However, awareness of bequests is on the rise, growing by 12 percentage points over the past five years. In 2024, 84% of those over 50 know what a bequest to charitable causes is (compared to 82% in 2023, 79% in 2022, 73% in 2021 and 72% in 2020). Currently, 6.3 million Italians (i.e. 24% of the over 50s) have a positive attitude towards charitable bequests. In particular, 2%, equal to over half a million people, have already included a legacy in their will, while the percentage of those who are open to this possibility has risen from 19% to 22%, involving over 5.7 million people.
The prevailing fears. For the remaining sample, 30% are undecided (35% in 2023) and 46% are unfavorable (44% in 2023). What doubts or concerns could hinder the decision to make a bequest to a non-profit organization? Firstly, the fear of taking away resources from the future of the heirs and the desire to give them as much solidity as possible (37%) and the concern for the job insecurity of children and grandchildren (28%).
The idea of exorcising death. “It would seem from the data that the idea that the solidarity bequest would take something away from one’s direct heirs is still widespread among Italians. But it must be noted that even before the joint will, it is for one’s own will in general that significant perplexities, doubts, even hostility seem to emerge. – recalls Professor Apolito – So, the preclusion towards the joint will because it would take away resources from one’s family members, could be a cover for a sort of taboo on the thought of one’s own death. That is, not making a will would be an elementary form of exorcising death. He’s a credible suspect, no doubt. However, I would also like to point out that it was only about ten years ago that the Solidarity Testament Committee and who in ten years has made giant strides in the perception of Italians”.
A long journey of knowledge. As Rossano Bartoli, spokesperson for the Solidarity Testament Committee and president of League of the Golden Thread“over the last eleven years, the Solidarity Testament Committee has accompanied public opinion on a journey of knowledge and awareness on the solidarity legacy, of which we see the fruits today. We are aware that the solidarity legacy continues to be chosen only by a minority of Italians. Many more Italians than in the past, however, now know that this form of solidarity exists. There is still a lot of work to be done, our commitment continues.”
Here’s how to find out more. By accessing the site www.testamentosolidale.org it is possible to have an exhaustive overview of the projects and initiatives carried out by the associations non profit who join the Solidarity Testament Committee and download the Guide to Solidarity Bequests which offers extensive and detailed information on the topic.
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