Traffic remains Malta’s top concern: Times of Malta poll
In a rare show of unity, voters from all parties and of all ages say gridlock is driving them up the wall
Traffic remains far and away Malta’s most pressing issue, eclipsing all other concerns, a new Times of Malta poll has found.
The poll asked a representative sample of 600 voters to list what they believe are the country’s biggest problems, as well as the issues that impact them most on an individual level.
In both cases, respondents pointed to Malta’s long-standing traffic gridlock ahead of several other concerns, in a preview of the issues likely to dominate an upcoming electoral campaign.
Almost one in two (43.5 per cent) listed traffic, parking and public transport as Malta’s greatest concern, well ahead of other issues such as overdevelopment (29.8 per cent) and immigration (23.8 per cent).
While people have frequently flagged traffic as among the country’s biggest headaches in previous polls, the issue has only become more prominent over the past year.
In a similar poll last October, traffic overtook cost of living to become the most-mentioned issue by respondents, rising from under 30 per cent in previous polls to over 42 per cent.
With no clear end in sight for Malta’s traffic gridlock, respondents returned a similar result this time around.
Meanwhile, concern over Malta’s cost of living has eased slightly as inflation has dipped, the poll suggests.
While cost of living frequently topped Malta’s list of worries in previous polls, it now ranks as Malta’s fourth-highest concern, cited by just over one in five respondents (21.5 per cent).
Frustration at the traffic gridlock is felt across almost all voter groups, the poll suggests.
Both Labourites and Nationalists point to traffic as the country’s greatest headache. Labour-leaning voters are particularly frustrated by the issue, with more than one in two (51.7 per cent) citing it as among Malta’s biggest problems.
Labour voters also say they are worried about construction (27 per cent) and immigration (24 per cent).
Meanwhile, Nationalists agree that traffic is Malta’s most pressing issue (42.2 per cent) but also express stronger concern over construction (32.1 per cent) and cost of living (30.3 per cent).
They also point to corruption (17.4 per cent) as a worry, an issue that barely registered at all among Labour voters (three per cent).
Traffic concerns also cut across voters of almost all age groups and localities, with some notable exceptions.
Younger voters, aged between 16 and 24, narrowly named construction (40.3 per cent) as Malta’s biggest issue, pipping traffic (35.5 per cent) to the post. This group also pointed to Malta’s property prices as the single issue that impacts them most on an individual level.
Meanwhile, Gozitan voters appear to be increasingly worried about the effects of overdevelopment on their island, with the issue cited as the country’s top concern by 43.2 per cent of Gozitan respondents.