A survey to establish the cultural beliefs and values of the Maltese people will be held in the coming months ahead of a national conference on the state of the nation organised by the Office of the President in June.
Statistician Vincent Marmara, who is leading the study, told a press conference said that the survey sample will be as representative of national demographics as possible, and will be of no less than 1,000 people with a margin of error of not more than 3.1 per cent.
“In my line of work I encounter the opinions of many people, and it is noteworthy that while certainly all of them hold certain principles, those principles could change from one issue to another, particularly when it hits close to home,” Marmara said.
“This is the key focus of this study, we want to understand what Maltese people believe and what informs their principles. The survey does not seek to find whether people agree or disagree with issues like abortion or euthanasia, but rather to understand what has informed those beliefs and why they are held.”
Marmara said that the people surveyed will be asked their views on a number of wide-ranging topics, including religion, culture, career, personal choices, rights, politics and finance.
Lou Bondi, strategic communications consultant, said that instead of convening a panel of experts to discuss one topic or the other, the survey wants to find out what the population thinks about key issues.
“I think that this country is going through radical and fundamental changes that are birthing new realities which we must make an effort to understand better,” he said.
“Where it concerns our values, society, history, politics or the environment, we don’t want to have a debate between experts, but a national conversation from people of different backgrounds.”
The conference, which will be held on June 4, will have 29 speakers from multiple disciplines and will include the participation of Prime Minister Robert Abela, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech and Archbishop Charles Scicluna.
President George Vella said he hoped that the conference would create a marketplace of ideas where different opinions can be heard with the opportunity to influence and persuade.
“Part of my vision is that we can inspire people to have this conversation where we open up not by debating but by discussing different ideas. I hope it can happen even on a local level, organised by local councils,” Vella said.
“The presidency wants to leave a legacy of knowledge about our heritage so that when necessary we can be critical of what is going on around us and also take pride in our national accomplishments as well.”