Malta among EU’s strongest supporters, Eurobarometer finds
91 per cent say EU membership benefits the country, while trust in local media ranks among the bloc’s lowest
The Maltese remain among the European Union’s strongest supporters, with 91 per cent saying Malta has benefited from membership, as trust in the media ranks among the lowest in the EU.
The latest Standard Eurobarometer Survey published on Friday by the European Commission reconfirmed Malta’s positive attitude towards the EU, with 60 per cent of Maltese respondents saying they trusted the bloc.
“This level of trust is among the highest in the EU and has increased by three percentage points since the previous Standard Eurobarometer survey,” a statement by the European Commission Representation in Malta said.
The survey also showed that 88 per cent of respondents believe EU membership has “a good effect” on the country’s economy, the highest score across the bloc.
The survey is designed to assess the views of EU citizens living in the 27 EU member states. In Malta, the survey was carried out through face-to-face interviews with 502 respondents between March 12 and April 1 this year.
As many as 91 per cent of respondents said Malta has benefited from being a member of the EU, ranking among the highest in the bloc.
Optimism about the EU was also higher than average in Malta, with 68 per cent of respondents saying they were “very optimistic or fairly optimistic about the future of the EU”, eight percentage points above the EU average.
Respondents highlighted rising prices, inflation and the cost of living as the most important issues facing Malta at the moment. Immigration and housing were also key concerns.
Trust in the national government stood at 52 per cent — an increase of 12 percentage points since October 2025 — ranking it fourth highest in the EU.
Malta’s education and health systems also received an overwhelming vote of confidence, with trust levels standing at 91 per cent and 90 per cent respectively, placing them among the highest in the EU.
Overall, respondents had a very positive perception of their circumstances, with 94 per cent saying they were satisfied with the lives they lead.
Some 31 per cent of respondents believed their quality of life had improved, the most positive result in the entire EU.
However, an overwhelming majority — 91 per cent — said they frequently encountered disinformation, the highest figure in the EU.
The same percentage said the rapid spread of disinformation poses a major problem for democracy, while trust in the media in Malta stood at just 33 per cent, among the lowest levels in the EU and well below the bloc average of 43 per cent.