A third of Maltese people would not be willing to use the Gozo tunnel if the toll were higher than the current ferry fare, a research report prepared for Transport Malta found.

According to the study, carried out last September but not made public, only 64 per cent of Maltese people would be willing to pay higher fares to use the tunnel, compared to 81 per cent of Gozitans.

Numbers were higher when people were asked whether they would be happy to pay the same for a tunnel as they do for the ferry, which is what the government has previously indicated would be the case. 

Of those who said they would not be willing to pay the same amount or more, Maltese people were ready to pay €5 on average to use the tunnel, while Gozitans said they would only pay €3.

Younger people, as well as those with a higher level of education and those in education or employment, were more willing to pay extra.

The majority of those who said they were not willing cited the fact that the price of the ferry was already too high.

The report, prepared by Vincent Marmara based on a survey of 824 people in Malta and Gozo, also confirmed earlier findings on the high levels of support for the building of a tunnel: 85 per cent of Maltese people and 83 per cent of Gozitans said they were in favour of the project.

Those who supported the tunnel cited reduced travelling times as the main factor, followed by comfort and avoiding bad weather. Among Gozitans who opposed the tunnel, the largest fear was that the island would lose its identity.

More than three-quarters of the Maltese respondents and nearly nine in 10 Gozitans said they would consider using the tunnel. Younger people were more willing to use the tunnel, and more than half of Maltese people over the age of 66 said they would not. However, less than half said they would be willing to use public transport to travel through the tunnel, although support was higher among Gozitans.

Residents of both islands said they would travel between Malta and Gozo more if the tunnel were to be built. Moreover, two-thirds of Gozitans who currently live in Malta during the week for work or study said they would return to Gozo.