Nearly one in three people in Malta are regularly exposed to disruptive sounds in their neighbourhoods and streets, according to the latest data from the Wellbeing INDEX Project.
The project, launched in 2021 by the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society and the University of Malta, serves as a repository of data on the island’s wellbeing that is not pegged to the country’s gross domestic product.
The findings are extrapolated from the National Statistics Office and built on annual surveys conducted among 4,000 households and 10,000 people.
Speaking at the presentation of the findings to parliament on Thursday morning on the occasion of World Happiness Day, the project’s lead researcher Marie Briguglio explained that the number of people exposed to noisy environments increased from just over 122,000 in 2022 to almot 144,000 in 2023. She attributed the sharp increase to growing urban areas. Almost 162,000 people complained of a polluted environment.
She added that almost 68,000 people in Malta reported that they felt calm “only a little of the time, if ever.”
MFWS founder Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said that wellbeing should be placed at the core of governance and policymaking.
“For far too long, we’ve measured success solely by GDP growth, often neglecting the fundamental question: Are our people truly flourishing?” she said.
Coleiro Preca said the Wellbeing INDEX project was launched to answer this question, offering evidence-based framework to ensure policies prioritise happiness, life satisfaction and the essential factors that influence these, such as health, social cohesion and material security.
She stressed that the project relied on collaboration with all stakeholders, including government entities, civil society, businesses, researchers, and community leaders, since their insights, were vital in shaping policies that reflected society’s real needs.
“This project is more than just research; it is a call to action. It is about ensuring that every policy, every initiative, and every decision contributes to a society where every individual can lead a fulfilling, dignified life. Together, let us champion a future where wellbeing is not just a concept, but a reality for every person in Malta,” she said.
University of Malta Rector Alfred Vella said the project’s next phase would continue to update Malta’s wellbeing indicators, expand research on children’s welfare, and develop the project’s website into a comprehensive data hub.
“The project will also aim to build public sector capacity through wellbeing training, and establish Malta’s first repository of wellbeing interventions, among other initiatives,” he said.
Vella said that UoM and MFWS had found the data gathered over the past few years to be so instrumental in deepening the understanding of Malta’s wellbeing that they had agreed to extend the project by three years.
Malta dropped eight spots to 48th place in the latest World Happiness Report published on Thursday, which found that the Maltese feel less free and are less likely to volunteer or help strangers than they once were.
The annual report ranks 147 countries worldwide, scoring each based on factors such as life expectancy, generosity, perceptions of corruption, and social support.