Young people trust clinical research, even if they don't know it well

Great faith in clinical research, in its ability to find a cure for currently incurable diseases in 5 years. This is the faith of young Italians, convinced of the usefulness of researchers' work even if they are not very aware of how clinical studies are carried out and of the possible risks that a slowdown in this activity in Italy could cause. This was revealed by the survey "Science and health: the voice of young people", promoted by Novartis on the occasion of the "Sound of Science" event that brought together institutions, doctors, researchers and patients in Milan to share priorities and action models necessary to strengthen research and support the demand for health.

The research, conducted by AstraRicerche in June 2025 on a sample of 1005 Italians between the ages of 25 and 65, captures not only confidence in the future but also the widespread knowledge (79.3%) among young people that it was the scientific discoveries of the past that made diseases that were incurable or difficult to manage up to 10-15 years ago treatable today. Thanks to clinical research, therefore, life expectancy can be increased (66.6% of young people say so), the onset of some diseases can be diagnosed early and accurately (66.4%), and the quality of life of patients with some diseases can be improved (63.1%).

Who funds research?

According to young people who know that clinical research is carried out in Italy, the main promoters are universities and their university clinics (61.5%) and pharmaceutical companies (45.6%). They are followed by public hospitals (33.8%) and private ones (24.2%). A belief that is only partly true because, if it is true that trials are carried out in IRCCS or university clinics, in 80% of cases it is financed by industry. For example, in 2024 Novartis promoted around 200 studies in Italy that involved over 2,300 patients in over 1,000 hospital or university centers and every year the company invests around 55 million euros in our country, where the two important innovation hubs of Ivrea in Piedmont and Torre Annunziata in Campania operate.

Research brings health

The confidence in scientific progress is counterbalanced by the lack of information among young people about what clinical research is and how it is conducted: a good 4 out of 10 say they do not know what it is, and only half (52.7%) of those who know it think that scientific research is carried out in Italy.

A lack of awareness that increases further if we look at the perception of young people on the risk for Italy to lose clinical research in the coming years. If on the one hand more than half of young people have heard about it (59.6% - much higher than the 48.6% of 40-65 year olds), on the other hand only 10.6% consider themselves well informed.

Furthermore, just over 4 out of 10 young people (45.7%) believe that the slowdown in clinical research could be a risk for the worsening of the health of Italians in the next 5-10 years. However, young people have a higher level of concern regarding the consequences of the slowdown in trials compared to 40-65 year olds (42.0%), and in particular women under 40 (49.2%).

Thus, according to young Italians, the main risks for the health of Italians in the next 5-10 years are air and water pollution (74.6%) and difficult access to prevention and treatment, with longer waiting times and higher costs (70.9%). For 2 out of 3, some personal behaviors can also have an impact, such as poor quality nutrition or generally incorrect eating habits (66.0%) and a sedentary lifestyle and little exercise (63.2%).

Patients are at risk if research slows down

If it were to become difficult to conduct clinical research in Italy, the ones who would be most affected, for more than 3 out of 4 young people (77.6%), would be patients with slower or limited access to new therapies that would be introduced first where clinical research is conducted (53.7%), less access to treatments (42.2%) and the difficulty or impossibility of participating in clinical trials (34.6%).

For more than 1 in 2, the world of work would also be affected (50.9%) with the loss of opportunities for young researchers (35.9%) and the risk of less investment in the "professions of the future" (29.8%).

Furthermore, for 4 out of 10 young people (41.9%) the Country System would also be affected by the negative effects, with a loss of prestige and competitiveness for Italy (28.0%) and of economic investments (25.3%).