What does it mean for an Italian American to feel connected to Italy today?
For generations, Italian American identity has been built on family stories, traditions, food, values, memories and pride in one's origins. Those elements remain fundamental. But Italy is not only the country our ancestors left. It is also a contemporary country – changing, creating, debating, producing and communicating every day.
That raises a question that We the Italians believes deserves to be explored: how strong is the connection between Italian Americans and Italy today?
We are launching a new ten-question survey to find out.
The goal is not to measure who is “more Italian” or “less Italian.” There are no right or wrong answers. Instead, we want to understand the many different ways in which Italian Americans maintain – or do not maintain – a relationship with contemporary Italy.
Do they follow what happens in Italy? Do they speak or study Italian? How often do they visit? Do they consume Italian culture and products? Do they have relationships with people living in Italy? And beyond these practical connections, how strongly do they feel that Italy remains part of their identity today?
The answers will contribute to the Italian American Connection Index 2026, an initiative designed to provide a clearer picture of the relationship between the Italian American community and Italy.
This is particularly important because the Italian American experience continues to evolve. The community includes people whose families arrived in the United States several generations ago, more recent immigrants, dual citizens and Americans who have rediscovered their Italian roots later in life. Their relationships with Italy can therefore be very different.
Rather than assuming what that relationship looks like, we want to measure it.
The findings will be analyzed and shared publicly by We the Italians, and will also be brought to the attention of organizations and institutions in both the United States and Italy. Our intention is to create a useful snapshot of where the Italian American connection with Italy stands today – and eventually to measure how it evolves over time.
Every response helps make that picture more meaningful.
Take the Italian American Connection Index 2026 survey and add your experience to the story.
Ten questions. A few minutes. One relationship across the Atlantic.
Two Flags, One Heart.
