Two-thirds of Maltese say they are uncomfortable travelling due to the pandemic, a survey commissioned by Times of Malta has found.
The survey was conducted this month following a spike in confirmed coronavirus cases that prompted the authorities to introduce stricter travel rules.
The survey found that while 55% of respondents are “not comfortable at all” with travelling right now, a further 9% say they are “rather uncomfortable”.
On the other hand, around a fifth of respondents say they are ‘ok’ with travelling.
Some 7% said they are “rather comfortable” travelling and 11% say they are “very comfortable” travelling.
The survey found that 11% are neutral to the idea of going overseas with four per cent of respondents declining to answer.
Many complain that their travel plans had been ruined
The survey was carried out between July 17 and July 21.
At the time, the government had just announced stricter travel rules, becoming the first EU member state to require all travellers to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
A few days later, the government eased the ban on unvaccinated travellers entering the country, instead requiring they undergo mandatory quarantine on arrival.
Despite this, many have complained that their travel plans had been ruined.
Times of Malta commissioned independent market research firm Esprimi to conduct the survey.
It is based on data collected from 600 respondents aged 16 and over and has a margin of error of four per cent.
Women are more likely to be uncomfortable travelling than men.
The survey found that 69% of women feel negatively about travelling due to the virus outbreak, 10 percentage points more than male respondents.
Women are also more likely to have strong feelings against travelling at the moment.
The survey found that 63% of women say they are “not comfortable at all”, whereas just 47% of men feel this way.
A question of age
Middle-aged and older respondents in the survey are less inclined towards travelling than younger Maltese.
The survey found that those aged between 18 and 24 are the most likely to be ok with taking a trip - 33 per cent. On the other hand, those aged 45 to 54 are the most likely to feel negatively about travelling – around 72 per cent.
Interestingly, the teen respondents to the survey, 16 to 17-year-olds, were actually the least inclined to travel.
Seventy-five per cent said they are not comfortable with the idea, as opposed to 25 per cent who agree with it.