Majority against divorce, and overwhelmingly against abortion

Although a majority of the Maltese (55.7%) think that it was not necessary to introduce divorce in Malta, more than a third (38%) say it has become necessary; 6.3% did not offer any opinion.

Opposition to abortion is much more pronounced. A solid 95.7% oppose abortion in cases where a woman becomes pregnant outside marriage; only 4% are in favour. However, those who favour abortion in cases of rape rise to 17.7%, with those against being 76%; in cases of incest and unborn children with series defects, those who favour abortion are 9% (85.7% and 86.3% respectively are against), and the rest do not commit themselves either way.

These are the main findings of the latest public opinion survey carried out for The Sunday Times by sociologist Mario Vassallo. The survey was carried out by telephone among a representative sample of 300 households between December 27 and January 4.

Asked whether they knew of any married couples with serious marital problems, 87.3% said they did; 12% did not commit themselves, while only 0.7% said they knew of no such couples.

Asked what they thought was the main reason for serious marital discord, an absolute majority (54%) spontaneously replied "money problems" while 12% said "extramarital relationships" (more women, 14.7%, gave this reason than men, 9.3%).

Other reasons given were "lack of respect of women's rights" (9.3%), "character incompatibility" (7.7%), "lack of prayer as a couple" (4.3%), with only 0.7% mentioning "interference by in-laws". A total of 11.3% gave no reason.

Just over half the respondents (51%) said the State was not providing a good marriage counselling service; 22% said it was, while 27% did not give an opinion.

On the other hand, 40.3% said the Church was giving a good service in this respect, although more (43.3%) said it did not; 16.3% did not reply.

A majority of respondents (52.3%) believe that separation is not a solution to marital problems, while 42.3% considered it a good solution; 5.3% were not sure.

However, 56% think that Church annulment procedures are not fair, with only 19% saying they were; 25% did not commit themselves.

A majority of respondents, 52.7%, consider that the Cana Movement's marriage preparation courses, compulsory for all who seek marriage within the Church, are good enough for marriage, but 36% disagree; 11.7% did not answer the question.

The overwhelming majority (98.7%) placed the responsibility for pregnancies outside marriage on both the male and the female; only 0.7% said that it was solely the female's responsibility.

Remarkably, although only 4% of respondents favour abortion in the case of premarital pregnancy, in the case of the AB socio-economic category, support for abortion rises to 13.8%.

Asked to comment on these findings, Professor Vassallo said: "It is clear that the traditional strengths of the Maltese family are giving in under the stress of contemporary living. The demand for divorce is becoming more forceful as persons whose marriage fails seek a new, more meaningful relationship in a society in which the private sphere is practically becoming the only domain in which an individual's identity is recognised.

"At the same time however, abortion is frowned upon by practically all the Maltese, although this study does detect a higher pro-abortion orientation among specific segments of Maltese society.

"It is clear that Maltese society needs to reflect very seriously on these matters. So must the Church, possibly in directions hitherto uncharted. Many query, for example, why the Church uses its vicarious authority and dissolves a valid marriage only in the case of the Petrine privilege. The need for meaningful relationships becomes more urgent in an atomised society, and the issue of remarriage becomes more delicate.

"Undoubtedly the Church has a unique mission to throw light on the suffering, and to fulfil the aspirations, of many, even in Malta," Professor Vassallo concluded.

Conclusions of survey on divorce and abortion

In the Roman Catholic calendar, the first day of each new year is dedicated to the family. Even though most Maltese families are united and the salient ingredients which make up family life, namely love, commitment and harmony are fiercely safeguarded, nevertheless, not all Maltese families are enjoying such happy and rewarding lives.

In fact, cases of separated couples, once a rarity, are now quite common and most Maltese do not bat an eyelid when they get to know about couples whose marriages are on the rocks. The fact that a staggering 87.3% of respondents said that they knew couples whose marriages are in deep waters, is a clear indication of the problems Maltese couples are encountering.

This study has focussed on the two main actors in every marriage - the husband and the wife - and the findings reveal that, according to the respondents, all is not well in relationships for a number of reasons.

The reason most frequently cited by respondents as causing marital problems is related to "money" (54.7%), followed by "extramarital relations" (12%). Other reasons given were "lack of respect of woman's rights" (9.3%) and "character incompatibility" (7.7%).

"Interference by in-laws" was cited by a mere 0.7% and it is indeed heartening that the previously proverbially much maligned in-laws have ceased to be so since newly-married couples no longer live under the same roof as their in-laws, as was the practice till a few decades ago. This is clearly the result of the increasing prevalence of the nuclear over the extended family in Malta.

The fact that the main cause of marital problems is 'money related' calls for concern. It is well-known that most couples start off their married life deep in debt on house loans and arguments are bound to flare up over every cent that is spent when the couple is strapped for cash. However, the other causes for marital problems cited by the respondents reveal that it seems that there is little, if any, communication among these couples whose marriages are shaky. "Character incompatibility" and "lack of respect of woman's rights" reveal a dearth of communication skills within the couple.

Marriage counselling

Since the overwhelming majority stated that they are acquainted with couples who have serious marital problems, they were also questioned about the support services provided by both State and Church to help persons with marital problems.

As regards the support services provided by government agencies, the majority (51%) do not consider them to be good, while only 22% are positive about government services. The remaining 27% did not express an opinion.

Opinions on Church services are more positive, however. The findings in this study show that 40.3% are satisfied with the services provided by the Church while 43.3% are not. The remaining 16.3% could not tell and did not commit themselves either way. It is noteworthy that according to the Maltese, the Catholic Church in Malta is doing a better job in helping couples with marital problems to overcome them than the State agencies

Unfortunately, not all Maltese couples who have marital problems manage to iron out their differences, and decide to separate. Fifty-two point three per cent do not consider separation to be a good solution for couples with serious marital problems, as opposed to the 42.3% who do; 5.3% did not commit themselves either way.

Since separation is only a band-aid solution and thus does not give the couple the right to remarry, in some cases couples try to seek an annulment of their marriage. For this reason this study sought to collect data on whether the Maltese considered the annulment procedures adopted by the Catholic Church are fair with persons having marital problems.

The majority do not think that the annulment procedures are at all fair. In fact, 56% said they are unfair. Only 19% consider them to be fair, while the remaining one-fourth of the Maltese adult population stated that they could not really say.

The family is traditionally considered as the main pillar of Maltese society and it is understandable that the Catholic Church tries to ensure that marriages last a lifetime. For this reason, the Church's agency, the Cana Movement, runs its own marriage preparation courses which are compulsory for all those seeking marriage in church.

Asked about the usefulness of such courses and whether they consider them a good preparation for marriage, just over half (52.7%) considered them a good enough preparation for marriage, but a sizable percentage (36%) do not, while 11.3% preferred not to answer.

Is divorce necessary?

The question of whether divorce should be introduced in Malta is a hotly-debated subject. Although the Catholic Church is forcefully against the introduction of divorce and as yet, it is not possible for a Maltese couple to obtain a divorce in Malta, the participants in this study were asked whether the introduction of divorce is becoming necessary in Malta.

The majority of the Maltese continue to believe that divorce is not necessary (55.7%), but more than one-third (38%) said that the introduction of divorce is now necessary, while 6.3% did not offer any opinion.

Regrettably, pregnancies outside marriage have become a common occurrence especially among teenagers. In this study, the Maltese adults were asked who they thought should assume responsibility when an unmarried girl becomes pregnant. The overwhelming majority placed responsibility on both the male and the female (98.7%); and a mere 0.7% stated that it is solely the female's responsibility. The remaining 0.7% did not commit themselves.

Views on abortion

So far, abortion, like divorce, is not legal in Malta. The participants in this study were asked whether abortion could be justified in a set of specific circumstances, namely outside marriage, in cases of rape, incest and when a seriously defective baby is going to be given birth.

The overwhelming majority (95.3%) reject abortion in the case of extramarital pregnancies. Only 4.3% agreed that abortion should be legalised to cover such cases, while the remaining 0.3% did not commit themselves. There is practically no difference across gender among those who are in favour of abortion to terminate unwanted pregnancies, but it is very significant that respondents in the AB socio-economic group registered a relatively high percentage of approval (17.2%) as compared to the national average of 4.3%.

In contrast, this study reveals that the Maltese are not so overwhelmingly against the legalisation of abortion in specific cases such as incest or rape. In fact, 17.7% agree that abortion should be legalised to cover cases of rape. However, the majority (76%) are still against abortion even in such cases, while 6.3% are not sure and did not commit themselves.

In cases of incest, the levels of support in favour of abortion are lower than those of rape. In fact, 9% agree with abortion as opposed to 85.7% who disagree. Finally, when asked whether the mother should have the right to have an abortion if her child is diagnosed with a serious defect, only 9% support abortion, while 86.3% do not.

It is significant that in all three cases, males were more numerous than females among favouring abortion: rape: 19.3% vs.16%; incest: 10.7% vs. 7.3%; seriously defective baby: 12% vs. 6%.

Also, in the case of rape and incest, the highest levels of approval were registered by members of the AB socio-economic group AB (rape: 31%; incest: 17.2%) while in the case of a seriously defective baby, the highest level of approval was registered by members of the C1 socio-economic group, at 11.5%.

In the case of rape, persons in the 26-35 age group registered the highest level of approval (25.5%), while in the case of incest the highest level of approval was registered among those aged 51-65 (14.5%) and in the case of a seriously defective baby it was among persons aged 36-50 (15.9%).

Socio-economic groups

AB - professional, managerial, administrative;

C1 - higher clerical, clerical, supervisor, skilled craftsmen and technicians, owner/manager of small business;

C2 - skilled manual workers and foremen;

DE - semi-skilled, unskilled, labourers, casual workers and persons whose income is provided by the State.