Immigration remains the most important issue for Maltese citizens

● 86% believe Malta’s economy is ‘good’

Rebecca Iversen Immigration was identified as the most important issue facing Malta, according to a European Commission survey. The survey, entitled Life in the European Union, which was published on Friday, selected a random sample of 500 people from each country and asked a series of questions regarding political, economic and social conditions in their nation and the European Union.

When asked: “What do you think are the two most important issues facing Malta at the moment?” 33 per cent specified immigration. Interestingly enough, since 2014, Malta has seen a substantial fall in the number of immigrants arriving on boats with – with 2016 figures showing only five arriving between May and July, none in August and the highest being seven in December. On the other hand for other Europeans, unemployment was the top issue, with 29 per cent of them selecting this. When asked about the second most important issue, crime and the environment and climate and energy came in at a joint 19 per cent. However when asked which were the most important issues for the whole of the European Union, 58per cent voted for terrorism, which was also the top issue chosen by other Europeans, with immigration coming in at a second, at 52 per cent.

In the survey, taken in May before the general election, people were asked whether or not they trusted their government or not. A total of 58per cent of the Maltese sample said they trusted their government, with 30 per cent saying they did not trust it and 12 per cent saying they didn’t know.

On the subject of the national economy, the sample of Maltese citizens was asked: “How would you judge the current situation of Malta’s economy?” The result was substantially different to our European neighbours with only 46per cent of the rest of Europeans believing that their nation’s economy was ‘good’. The Maltese sample, on the other hand, showed a significant difference; with 86 per cent of people feeling that their economy was in a ‘good’ place, with only a meagre eight per cent declaring that the economy was ‘bad’ opposed to the 51per cent of other Europeans who did not believe their nation’s economy was in a healthy state.

Furthermore, when asked about ‘the financial situation of your household’, the Maltese sample showed that 87 per cent said that their financial situation at home was ‘good’, whilst with other Europeans, it was somewhat lower, with 70 per cent saying they felt it was ‘good’. The survey continues to then ask: “What are your expectations for the next 12 months: will the next 12 months be better, worse or the same, when it come to…?’, ‘economic situation’, in which 40 per cent chose that it was ‘good’ and 36 per cent voted it would stay the same and only four per cent voting that it was going to get worse. It was a similar situation regarding questions about employment in Malta, with 40 per cent choosing ‘good’, 39 per cent saying it would stay the same and four per cent voting that it would get worst.

Overall, the Maltese sample appeared to be quite pro-Europe, with 56 per cent saying they trusted the EU, 19 per cent saying that they did not trust it and 25 per cent saying they did not know. This is substantially different to other Europeans with only 42 per cent voting that they trusted the European Union and 47 per cent saying that they did not. In addition to this, the Maltese sample also had a higher percentage for whether they believed the EU conjured up a positive image; with 45 per cent agreeing it does opposed to the 40 per cent of other Europeans. A total of 45 per cent remained neutral but only a meagre six per cent voted that the EU had a negative image compared to the 21per cent of other Europeans.