Child work: Attitudes and policies of consumption among a group of Italian youngsters

Thesis statement Little research has been carried out on the beliefs and attitudes of young people living in the industrialised countries about child work. This research relates to attitudes, perceptions, evaluations of young Italians, in relation to child work, as well as to the consequent adoption of preventative consumption policies. Methodology The research was conducted through the use of an ad-hoc questionnaire, administrated to a group of 1,250 high school students, aged 14-18. The data were analyzed using SPSS 17. Principal Component Analyses (PCA) was performed and Cronbach’s alfa were computed. Results Among key findings: participants show a limited knowledge of child work; negative attitudes towards child work are closely associated to mental representation of poverty and exploitation, but more positive attitude if work is pleasant and freely chosen by the child; the majority of the participants affirms the importance of adopting concrete preventive measures to counteract child work but, at the same time, past behaviour in consumption shows a discrepancy. Conclusions and Implications - A negative attitude towards child work does not seem to be linked to the willingness to adopt policies of consumption aimed at preventing and repressing child exploitation.