Almost 85% of Maltese nationals want foreigners living in Malta to learn Maltese, a new survey published on Friday has revealed.

Almost all elderly people want foreigners to learn Maltese, and even though the younger generations are the least bothered by whether foreigners learn Maltese or not, the vast majority still believe they should.

The survey, conducted by leading pollster and university lecturer Vince Marmarà, was published during a national forum on the Maltese language, hosted by the Centre of the Maltese Language

The study gathered data on how, when, and where people prefer to use Maltese, to better understand modern language trends.

It found that most Maltese parents (68%) mostly speak to their children in Maltese.

Sixteen per cent said they mostly speak English and another 16% code switch from one language to another.

More than half of parents - 56% - said their children can understand both languages.

But a fourth of parents aged 26 to 45 said their children can only understand English.

This was also the case for almost a third of parents living in the Sliema and St Julian's area. Parents in these areas spoke mostly E nglish with their children.

Interestingly, fathers tended to speak to their children in Maltese more than mothers. In fact, 77% of men speak Maltese with their children, as opposed to 62% of women.

Only 5% of children under 18 read mostly in Maltese. More than half read mostly in English.

Emails in English, text messages in Maltese

The study found Maltese people prefer to write emails in English, but write text messages on their phones in Maltese. They also prefer to write personal notes in Maltese.

Fewer than 7% of young people aged 16 to 25 write e-mails in Maltese.

The overwhelming majority - 94% - want a Maltese spell checker and almost all of them would find it most useful on their phone. Almost a third of respondents said they would also make use of it on social media.

Almost everyone said they can speak both Maltese and English. Two-thirds of Maltese people also understand Italian and more than half the population said they can speak it.

More than 85% said they believed the Maltese language is becoming too contaminated by other languages, especially English.

Majority speak English at work

The study found 80% of working Maltese citizens speak Maltese at work, but more than half of them speak English as well.

95% said they speak Maltese with their relatives and friends while 14% said they speak in English. A fifth of Maltese citizens living in Sliema and St Julian's speak English with their relatives and friends.

People feel that the place in which they can navigate mostly in Maltese is the bank. In contrast, they felt they could least use their mother tongue in bars and restaurants.

More than 70% of Maltese people across all ages, generations and regions said they would like to be able to speak Maltese virtually everywhere they go - in shops, bars, restaurants and entertainment places, in hospitals and care homes, at the bank, at school and while receiving public and educational services.

The majority of Maltese people also prefer to read the news in Maltese. The youngest prefer to read books in English, while the elderly are the most likely to go for books in Maltese.

Radio in Maltese, films in English

A vast majority want to listen to the radio in Maltese but want to watch films in English. They are split almost equally, however, when it comes to TV series - they prefer to watch their episodes in Maltese slightly more than in English.

Interestingly, while none of the respondents aged 16 to 25 prefer watching films in Maltese, a fifth of the same cohort prefer watching TV series in Maltese.

Respondents were also asked whether they go to cultural activities. Almost half said they do, although the elderly are the least present at these events.

Cultural events are mostly attended by Gozitans.

'Maltese must become national priority'

Addressing the forum on Friday, Centre of the Maltese Language CEO Norma Saliba said that protecting and strengthening the Maltese language must become a national priority and the study should help shed light on the course of action.

"We must take every necessary initiative - whether legal or political - to ensure the Maltese language is protected and strengthened," she said.

"Maltese people have been exposed to influences from several languages throughout their history of colonisation. While this was of great educational and commercial advantage, it is our language which gives us an identity," she said.

The study was carried out last month among a representative sample of 600 Maltese citizens aged 16 and over and has a margin of error of +/- 4%.

Correction February 24, 2024: A previous version stated that the event was hosted by the National Council for the Maltese Language.