With a flood of migrants arriving on Italy's shores, a bitter debate has erupted over whether children born on Italian soil to foreign parents should have citizenship rights at birth. According to a poll published on Thursday in the Messaggero daily, the idea of "ius soli" is losing support among Italians, even though such a path to citizenship exists in many other EU countries.

The Latin term "ius soli" refers to rights linked to the land (where you are born) as opposed to "ius sanguinis", where rights are based on blood ties. Children currently must have at least one Italian parent to enjoy citizenship rights. Those who do not can apply when they turn 18 but rules on time spent out of the country mean some are rejected.