Strong level of optimism and confidence in institutions among Maltese.

The Eurobarometer survey carried out by the European Commission last January and February confirms that despite the lingering effects of the pandemic in our country there is a strong level of optimism and confidence in institutions. In fact, this survey indicates that 47% of Maltese people trust Government, against 35% in the rest of the EU who trust their national government. Before March 2013 the Maltese trust in their government had stood at 34%.

66% of interviewed Maltese and Gozitans told the Commission that they were satisfied with the measures taken by the national Government to combat the pandemic, twice as many as those who told the Commission that they were not happy about the measures. In contrast across the EU while 50% were content with the measures that had been taken, 48% were dissatisfied with their country’s response to the pandemic.

44% of those interviewed in Malta stated that they believed that things in our country are heading in the right direction, in contrast to the average rate of 34% across EU countries. The proportion of those who think our country is heading in a good direction was one and a half times what it had been at the end of 2012.

60% of Maltese and Gozitans believe that the economic situation in our country is good, as against 39% of people across the EU who believe the same about their national economy. The economic optimism in our country is almost the same as it was in the first months following the change of Government in 2013. In fact, metric after metric shows that the level of confidence in the Labour movement is the same as it was when the movement was first trusted to govern this country.

60% of Maltese and Gozitans believe that the economic situation in our country is good.

While according to the Opposition, most families are going through a dire financial situation, the Eurobarometer indicates that 82% of households in our country think that that their financial situation is good, while 61% of the Maltese believe that the employment situation in our country is doing fine. In addition, 38% of those interviewed said that they expect our country’s economic situation to improve in the coming year, much more than the 30% of households across the EU who expressed the same about their country’s economy.

While in 2012 there were a third of Maltese households worried about the economy, today this proportion is below 10% despite the country just emerging from a pandemic. Similarly, while in 2012, almost a quarter of those interviewed were worried about the national debt, this has now fallen to 10%. In our country only 3% of households worry about unemployment, five times less than across the EU.

The Eurobarometer results confirm how much optimism there is among families in our country. Despite the challenges posed by international developments as well as the lingering impact of the pandemic, the financial situation of our families looks much better than that of families across Europe. The level of trust in the institutions also seems to be at a good level, reflecting overall satisfaction with the successful way the pandemic has been managed.

All this helps explains why despite all the efforts made by the Opposition and its many allies, the electorate’s approval of the Labour administration has remained resilient.