The launch of the fourth edition of the National Survey and the ‘State of the Nation’ conference took place yesterday at Verdala Palace, and here’s some interesting points you might have missed.
While the majority of respondents, 70.5%, stated they are comfortable having been born and brought up in Malta, the same cannot be said for those under 25. Maltese youth were the largest group of respondents who wished they were brought up in another country, according to the survey.
The importance of politics within people’s lives was also highlighted, and seems to be decreasing, with just 33.7% stating they consider it as very important, as opposed to 48.3% in 2021. Vincent Marmara, statistician and university lecturer,reminded the public that all data was collected during political campaigns, a time where political interest usually increases.
Those under 25, on the other hand, are the least who said that politics is of great importance to them.
When compared to the three previous years, the influence of political parties on the public’s decisions has also seemed to decline, with 42.8% stating they do not consider the opinion of the political party they affiliate with when forming an opinion on various matters.
Voting for the same political party has seemed to remain consistent, with 69.5% stating they have voted for the same party in the past. This year, however, 42% of respondents stated they are more willing to vote for other parties, the highest amount in the past four years. Political favours may also be on the decline, with 25.2% stating they asked politicians for a favour, as opposed to 30.9% in 2023.
Multiculturalism is not as welcome, it seems, with a total of 27% stating they do not feel comfortable at all with the mix of cultures in the Maltese society. Those aged 26-35 are most comfortable with the levels of multiculturalism.
When asked which economic sectors are most beneficial for economic growth, tourism was the most popular, with financial services following closely behind. Construction, on the other hand, was given the least importance by respondents.
The survey also highlighted the preference of the Maltese language, whereby a total of 71.3% of respondents considered Maltese to be their primary language. A percentage of 7.6% stated they consider English as their first language, and 20.3% said it was both.
President Myriam Spiteri Debono thanked Vincent Marmara and Lou Bondi, a strategic communications consultant, for their commitment to the conference.
Source: https://lovinmalta.com/malta/youths-uninterested-in-politics-and-more-keen-on-having-been-born-elsewhere-heres-what-you-missed-from-the-state-of-the-nation/
