Survey confirms most people feel safe walking alone in the dark
The perception of safety is lower among women
An overall majority of people feel safe walking alone in the dark in Malta, a survey by the National Statistics Office shows.
It found that 74 percent of respondents felt safe while walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark. However the perception varied between genders, with 81 per cent of men reporting feeling safe, compared to 65% of women.
The perceived level of safety stood at 78% for those 18 to 34 and 75 per cent for those 35 to 64. The figure dropped to 63% for those aged over 65.
There were only minor geographic variations in perceived safety, ranging from 71 per cent in the Northern Harbour district to 76 per cent in the Northern district.
Feeling safe at home
Overall, 94 per cent of respondents reported feeling safe in their homes after dark. There were only minor differences by sex and age. For women, 92 per cent reported feeling safe when alone at home after dark, for men this was 95 per cent.
By age, feelings of safety decreased slightly as age increased, from 96 per cent among those 18 to 34, to 91 per cent among those aged 65 and over. Geographic variations were also small, with values ranging from 94 per cent in the Northern Harbour district to 92 per cent in the Western district.
When the two measures of perceived safety were cross tabulated, 72 per cent of respondents reported they felt safe both at home and when walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark, the NSO said.
On the other hand, 21 per cent of respondents reported that while they feel safe in their home after dark, they do not feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark.
Data was collected by means of Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) between 26th September 2025 and 1st October 2025. The final net sample consisted of a total of 1,017 persons, of whom 508 were men and 509 were women.