One in two students is ready to go to China to study

The mobility aspirations of Italian teenagers are undergoing a profound change. In this regard, China’s appeal is growing significantly, with 46 per cent of young people citing it as a destination for a study period in 2026 (compared with 29 per cent in 2017). This is according to the second edition of the research commissioned by Fondazione Intercultura ets from Ipsos-Doxa and presented in Rome during the event ‘Moving Minds: Italian teenagers, China and Intercultural Mobility’, organised in partnership with Intesa Sanpaolo and Roma Tre University.

The survey compared a representative sample of 500 Italian students (aged 14–19) with 114 former participants in Intercultura’s annual exchange programmes in China. The aim was to understand how the Asian country was perceived and to assess its appeal.

According to Mattia Baiutti, Secretary-General of the Intercultura Foundation, ‘it is significant that teenagers themselves recognise China as a destination of particular interest for an experience of study and personal development’.

According to Elisa Zambito Marsala, Head of Education Ecosystem and Global Value Programmes at Intesa Sanpaolo, ‘Supporting programmes such as those run by Fondazione Intercultura means investing in the country’s human capital, promoting educational opportunities that broaden young people’s horizons, strengthen their independence and guide them towards building a more open, informed and global sense of citizenship.’