Maltese most religious in EU - survey

The Maltese have emerged as the most religious people in the EU.

An EU-wide survey found that 88 per cent of the Maltese consider religion as "a very important aspect" of their life, topping the survey's "religious" table.

They are followed by the Cypriots (86 per cent) and Romanians (82 per cent).

The least religious are the Czechs and the Danes, with 72 and 70 per cent.

The local survey of 500 respondents was conducted in Malta last November by Misco.

The findings indicate that contrary to public perception, politics is not very high on the Maltese agenda. Only 28 per cent said politics were important to them.

All the respondents answered that the family is the most important thing in their lives.

Work (88 per cent) and friends (82 per cent) are also seen as very important.

The survey dealt with the level of trust certain political institutions enjoy among the Maltese.

Only 23 per cent said they trusted political parties.

Parliament does not fare well either, enjoying the trust of only 38 per cent of the respondents.

The same applies for the government with 39 per cent stating they trust it and 42 that they don't.

Surprisingly, local councils are the most trusted political institution with an approval rating of 56 per cent.

Asked to state how they compare the performance of the economy during the past 12 months, 25 per cent said it is better than the year before, 23 per cent said that it had got worse and 25 per cent that it stayed the same.

The results are somewhat different where participants were asked whether their life had improved or got worse in the past five years.

Forty-four per cent said it improved, 28 per cent that it remained the same and 26 per cent that it got worse.

Overall, the Eurobarometer survey showed that EU citizens are happy with their life, with an average of 86 per cent expressing satisfaction.

In Malta the rate is 94 per cent.

The survey forms part of an EU-wide social stocktaking exercise in a "listening campaign" of the feelings of EU citizens.

The Commission said the results would be fed into forthcoming policy initiatives including the review of the Commission's social agenda, later on this year.