The Bertelsmann Foundation research shows that 67 percent of Europeans believe the world used to be a better place. Italians are most nostalgic (77 percent), Germans (61 percent) and Poles (59 percent) the least.
Those inclined to nostalgia are politically right leaning and mainly critical of immigration. Over half of them (53 percent) believe that immigrants are taking jobs from Europeans and 78 percent believe that immigrants do not want to integrate into western society.
Italians are most nostalgic (77%), Germans (61%) and Poles (59%) the least
The research survey also shows that tendency towards nostalgia tends to go with age. 70 percent of Europeans in the 55-65 age group are sentimental about the past, whereas in the age group of 25 or less those susceptible to nostalgia was 52 percent.
The survey is based on a sample of over 10,000 in five of the largest EU states: France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Poland. It is noticeable that the number of nostalgic respondents in countries which are most stable economically (Germany and Poland) was the lowest and that it was highest in the country currently suffering from the most chronic social and economic problems (Italy).
