The findings of the second State of the Nation survey, discussed the other day in a conference organised by President George Vella, add more pixels to the bigger picture of the Maltese population.
The results deserve to be well studied and, hopefully, they will. However, if the best use is to be made of this commendable exercise, the ‘small print’ – unsavoury data – cannot be ignored. After all, it is the bad that needs to be righted.
A good look at the findings reveals some distressing facts.
Though we may be returning to normality after the pandemic turmoil, uncertainty is growing as the war in Ukraine leads to a higher cost of living and inflation, not to mention the ill-effects of climate change.
Worryingly, the number of those living day by day increased from 29 per cent last year to 39.5 per cent in 2022. That is equivalent to more than 203,000 people in a population of 516,000 (2021 census).
True, those leading a happy life have increased too but the respondents saying they are not grew from 0.1 per cent to 2.5 per cent.
A similar situation prevails with regard to success in life. Those who say they have not been successful went up from zero to 2.7 per cent. That is nearly 13,000 individuals, or the size of the Fgura population.
Of grave concern is the fact that the big bulk admit they would never seek the help of professionals like counsellors, family therapists, psychologists and social workers when things go wrong in life, even if there seems to be an improvement over last year, statistically, at least.
When respondents were asked about prospects in a year’s time, a disquieting picture emerged too. Those having a positive outlook went up from 30.4 per cent to 41.2 per cent. However, while respondents harbouring doubts dropped from 62.5 per cent to 44.1 per cent, those who are pessimistic more than doubled, from 7.1 per cent to 14.7 per cent.
It is very positive that more people think their rights are being safeguarded and that fewer say these can be better protected. Still, the ones who categorically reply their rights are not being safeguarded jumped from 2.1 per cent to 5.7 per cent and those who are unsure from 0.2 per cent to 1.7 per cent.
Another situation that demands looking into is why the number of those who say their financial situation deteriorated went up from 13.5 per cent to 28.7 per cent.
Distressing, too, is the fact that 12.6 per cent of respondents – up from 6.3 per cent – admit they would have rather been born and bred in another country. Those saying they would rather not dropped from 87.1 per cent to 80.1 per cent.
Although fewer people think politics is important in their lives, just under a third, 29.7 per cent, admit they have occasionally approached politicians to seek favours. This, of course, is a culture politicians nurture notwithstanding its serious repercussions.
It is disconcerting to realise that nearly nine in every 10 people feel that the sort of respect and values they embrace are being imparted more by the family than by schools. While this points to the enduring strength of the family, it does not say much for the education system.
Some things are evidently wrong in the state of Malta. The president must use his influence, so the numbers are translated into robust action on the ground. His success or otherwise will become apparent in next year’s State of the Nation initiative.