This is what the European Central Bank integrated with a search by Banca Italia shows in a study. The survey shows that Italians in 85.9% of cases use banknotes and coins, while only 12.9% of transactions are made with cards.

Data which, however, can be misinterpreted if the actual value of the transitions is not taken into account. In fact, analyzing this data, it can be noticed that the cards’ value is the 28.6% of the total, while the cash’s is only the 68.4%: a sign that cash is used for low to medium payments. A coffee at the bar, a ride from the baker, a stop at the fruit counter; the small expenses of our daily (we are talking about those less than 25 euros according to the ECB survey) that escape the passage of credit cards.

What is the reason for this attachment to cash?

According to the survey, the reasons need to be found in a series of consolidated habits, such as the fact that cash is always accepted in every place, that it is quick and practical to use and "guarantees" greater control over expenses (which is not entirely true ).

These are weak motivations, which find their roots only in a lazy custom that it is hard to abandon. If we mirror the answers given by those who prefer digital payments, we see similar answers: 47% say they prefer digital payments because in this way it is not necessary to check if they have enough money, 38% say they use them because they are fast, 26% because they are safe, and the remaining 22% because it is simple.

In short, beyond habit and routines that time has helped to freeze in the consumers, it is clear that the concrete motivations for the choice of using cash are dull and not very pragmatic.

Not only would the use of digital payments make possible to limit tax evasion, but it would also allow costs to be well monitored. Only the gradual abandonment of prejudice towards new payment methods will one day make Italy a cashless-friendly country.