Most people live in the locality where they were born or where their families live despite often being unhappy with the town’s environment and infrastructure, a new study on well-being has found.
The report’s authors say that while this indicates “a strong sense of liveability and well-being in their locality of residence”, it also highlights people’s burning need for a better “natural environment and open spaces” in their neighbourhoods.
The report provides a glimpse into how local communities have been impacted by rapid social and demographic change over the past years.
The study, commissioned by the Environment and Resources Authority, was carried out by the Faculty for Social Wellbeing at the University of Malta.
Although the study was carried out throughout the first half of 2023, the report was published by ERA earlier this week. The study was led by Mary Grace Vella.
Four in 10 live in birth town
The study finds that over four out of every five people have lived in the same locality for over a decade, with 43% saying that they were born in the town where they now live. A further 23% chose to live in a town because their family lives in the same town or nearby.
Relatively fewer people say that they chose their town because it is quiet and green (15%) or because property prices are cheaper (13%).
The study highlights how people’s living choices are also deeply entwined with their consumption patterns, with nearly 83% saying that they tend to shop for their daily needs within the town itself. Meanwhile, almost half say they also choose to spend their free time in the locality where they live, although this drops drastically among younger age groups, with only one in five under the age of 18 saying this is the case.
The study also shows that residents aren’t blind to the problems in their localities. Many reported high levels of dissatisfaction with construction, traffic, air quality and noise pollution, among other issues.
Over one in five say that their hometown could be improved with less traffic, while 15% say they want stricter control on construction and a cleaner environment.
Still, almost two-thirds say they wouldn’t consider moving elsewhere, although this trend appears to be changing with younger respondents appearing to be more open to the idea.
Gozitan ties especially strong
On the other hand, Gozitans are particularly eager to stay put, despite the troubles they often face in commuting to work.
A staggering 86% of Gozitans said that moving is out of the question, with one Gozitan participant telling researchers “I prefer crossing to Malta every day and wasting three hours every day at this point,” rather than move to Malta.
People feel less safe
The study also indicates that people say they are now feeling less safe than they used to. This is true not only of their locality, “but is widespread throughout all of Malta”, the authors write.
They say that perceived sense of safety and crime levels are a major contributor to liveability and well-being.
Residents of St Paul’s Bay feel the least safe, according to the study, while Gozitans say they sense an increase in crime, in particular pockets of the island, such as Xlendi and Marsalforn.
Rapid change ‘killing community’
Faculty dean Andrew Azzopardi, who managed the study, told Times of Malta that the research illustrates how Malta is “changing fast and we just don’t seem to be able to understand how demographic and physical changes are impacting our lifestyle”.
Azzopardi noted that “complex transformations” in Maltese society have led to drastic changes in work practices and lifestyles, with many social rituals that were once considered routine having disappeared completely.
“Add to this the influx of foreigners, many of which either developed their own communities or else live in complete isolation, voiceless and faceless, and you have mini cosmopolitan communities alienated from each other”.
“I’m not sure people realise that all of this is killing community and fast.”