Socio‐environmental enquiry in the salina island (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy)

Modern integrated techniques of environmental analysis are helpful to address a specific process of social‐economic growth: to favour a better quality of life, to sustain the reached standards for future generations, etc. In all this, provided that the “development process” will respect the local people and their right expectations, choices and decisions have to be made together with the inhabitants. Projects of the Aeolian future become reality if, and only if, understood and accepted by those who live and work in the archipelago.

In such a context, the set‐up of a multi‐specific opinion poll becomes an indispensable instrument for testing any programme of development before to have it operating. For each of the proposed aspects, 130 sample interviewed people, stratified for activity, sex, and municipality of origin, have been invited to freely express qualitative answers (unknown, minimal, perceptible, consistent, relevant, essential, fundamental) to 30 questions regarding the state of environment, society and economy on their island, and also comparing them to the reality of the other Aeolian islands, and their own expectations.

Key words:

• Aeolian project
• environmental analysis
• opinion poll
• social aspects