DiaNEOsis “What Greeks Believe” | Genεsis Drawing Insights
“διαΝΕΟσις” is a non-profit think-tank based in Athens, Greece. The institute publishes academic research, policy recommendations and investigative journalism. Recently, they published the results of a survey that “διαΝΕΟσις” has been conducting since 2016, “ Τι πιστεύουν οι Έλληνες — 2022 “. This research’s purpose is to record the perceptions of Greek people on various topics. Below, you will find our perspective in terms of highlighting the key points as well as our view.
Starting off, the last few months have been chaotic both as a citizen of Greece as well as a citizen of the world. The wild fires in Greece, the pandemic, the invasion of Russia in Ukraine and the list goes on and on. The context in which we live in, has drastically changed from 1 or 2 years ago and as a result, the rapid changes in our lives have a significant impact on how we perceive the world.
That is to say, we live in a world where problems like climate change, the demographic constitute global problems that urgently need to be solved, yet on top of that various events are making the scenery even more blurred. It seems like Greek people logically have shifted their feelings from carelessness and/or ignorance to insecurity and frustration.
However, not only do we see changes in the way people feel but also in the way they act and think. More specifically, we see a more rational way of thinking as almost 8/10 people support vaccination as a means to confront the pandemic — for a religious country, this ratio is remarkable. What is more, respondents say they want more European involvement showing trust in a united Europe instead of arbitrarily arguing standing on our own feet. The Greek state as a protective mechanism is reflected somewhat vaguely in this research — young people seek for jobs and opportunities and not for state benefits (κρατικά επιδόματα), proving that we are moving to a more liberal state-citizen relationship.
Furthermore, the research’s results indicated that when it comes to some of our society’s greatest concerns (sexual harassment & orientation, bigotry and more) it turns out, the way we feel, think and act adapts to a “liberal individualism” model way more than it did before.
As for the “liberal” part, that could be justified as: It was only until recently that: 1) women started to speak up, report harassment 2) members of LGBTQ+ community started to “come out” of their shell, a shell socially constructed and filled with nothing but shame 3) society stands neutral against people’s varying tendencies to commit themselves to religious or not.
Therefore, these people are less afraid to talk freely. The expectations of negative/non-accepting/extreme reactions from the rest of the society are lower than before. In fact, an almost brand new support system in our society has been generated led by the last generations.
Speaking of younger generations and as for the “individualistic” part, generation Z leads a shift-away from the attitude of the mass. A sense of autonomy and distinctness. In addition to the “uniqueness” as a behavioral characteristic, people’s perceptions lack the old-fashioned absolutism which definitely helps us change for the better.
Basically, DiaNEOsis survey’s results shed light on the progress that our country has made in terms of cultural elevation and detachment from stereotypes. With that said, it seems like the secularization of Greek society and the liberalization of the mind are closer than ever.
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By Genεsis team:
