Maltese more optimistic about their country’s future than the average European

Updated 4.30pm with PN's reaction

The Maltese are more optimistic about the future of their country compared to the average EU citizen, according to a recent European Parliament study. 

Some 73 per cent of Maltese participants in the Eurobarometer Spring Survey said they were optimistic about the country’s future, 15 percentage points higher than the European average.

The share of respondents expressing optimism in Malta’s future rose by eight percentage points compared to the preceding edition of the study. 

The study paints the Maltese in an optimistic light overall; 85 per cent said they were positive about theirs and their family’s futures, nine percentage points above the EU average, and 70 per cent expressed optimism about the future of the EU.

Maltese optimism in one’s personal and family futures and that of the EU remained unchanged since the last survey, but positivity about the global future dropped by five percentage points – a change in line with shifting opinions across the continent. 

While expressing similar levels of optimism to their European counterparts about the future of the world, less than half (40 per cent) of Maltese envisage a bright future globally.

Reflecting Malta’s apparent optimism about the future of the country, respondents were most likely to list ‘hope’ as their current emotional state at the time of the survey, followed by ‘confidence’, ‘determination’ and ‘serenity’.

Almost one-third (30 per cent) said they felt anxious, however.  Asked what would improve their quality of life, the Maltese were most likely to select improvements to their “physical and mental health”, followed by advances in their financial situation and ability to afford daily life. 

Improvements to one’s social life and work-life balance, as well as in the quality of the environment – including air quality and water quality, for example – were also contenders.

Almost a third of Maltese said they expect their standard of living will increase over the next five years, a result markedly above the EU average

Comparisons with the average European point to Maltese frustrations with perennial issues affecting the country; the Maltese were almost twice as likely to say that improved transport would increase their quality of life, and 75 per cent more likely to list access to nature and green spaces. 

An impressive 90 per cent of Maltese said they were satisfied with their quality of life, however – a result broadly reflected in the responses of all age groups to take part in the study, and above the EU average.

And almost a third of Maltese said they expect their standard of living will increase over the next five years, a result markedly above the EU average.

The EU – and further afield 

On attitudes to the EU, the Maltese were generally divided between having a positive and neutral view of the union, with both hovering at 43 per cent, a result largely unchanged since the last survey. As in previous surveys, an overwhelming majority (94 per cent) of respondents in Malta said the country had benefitted from EU membership, 20 percentage points above the EU average. 

The EU’s contribution to Malta’s economic growth was by far the most significant reason listed by respondents as to how the country has benefitted from membership.

Alongside their European counterparts, the Maltese were most likely to want the EU to focus on tackling inflationary pressures.

Asked to compare the European quality of life with that of citizens living in two of the world’s main superpowers, just over two-thirds of Maltese believe their quality of life is better than US citizens’, while just under two-thirds expressed the same sentiment about the experiences of Chinese citizens.

Some 505 people in Malta aged 15 and above were interviewed in person and via video call for the survey.

A total of just over 26,400 citizens took part across the union’s 27 member states.

“At a time of global uncertainty, Europeans increasingly see the European Union as a beacon of stability. In a troubled world, that trust is Europe's greatest asset. It comes with a clear expectation that we act decisively to deliver security, prosperity and opportunity for our citizens,” said European Parliament President Metsola.

Anxiety among Maltese result of declining quality of life: PN

In a statement following the publication of the survey results, the PN said the data shows that the Maltese are feeling more anxious than the European average, as quality of life continues to deteriorate.

"The Eurobarometer results should serve as a serious warning to the government and as an incentive for those leading our country to place the impact of every decision they take on people’s quality of life first and foremost.

"Three in every 10 Maltese say that anxiety is among the emotions that best describe their current state. This is not a mere statistic, but an indicator of how people are feeling. It is a reflection of a country where people are living under constant pressure: pressure from the cost of living, traffic, rents and property prices, the strain on public services, and an economic model that is increasing numbers, but not necessarily people’s wellbeing," PN's Eve Borg Bonello and Ian Vassallo Hagi said.

The party, they added, believes that a country’s success is not measured only by economic figures, but by the quality of life of families, workers, young people and the elderly.

An economy that grows on paper solves nothing for those who, in their daily lives, are feeling increasingly anxious, they said.