Thursday, 12th February 2009 - 11:08CET
Trust in political parties slumps to 34%
Eurobarometer Malta survey shows growing pessimism
Although the Maltese people turn up at general elections in droves, a Euobarometer surey has found that 51% of the Maltese do not trust political parties. Only 34% trust the parties, and 15% have no view.
The autumn 2008 survey, published today, also records the most significant drop in the EU to support for European Union membership. Support in Malta now stands at 46%, down 14 points since a survey just six months ago. However 60% felt Malta had benefited from being an EU member state.
The wide-ranging report found that 84 percent of the Maltese people are satisfied with the life they lead but pessimism is creeping in and 24 percent expect life to get worse, an increase of 12 points over a similar survey last year. Twenty-three percent expect things to improve, down 11 points from last year.
The survey also found that 45 percent said they expect the Maltese economy to worsen, an increase of 25 percentage points over the same survey last year.
37 percent believed that things are going in the right direction for Malta but 39 percent believed the opposite.
84 percent said the situation with regard tot he cost of living is bad and only 14 percent were positive. Just over three quarters believed the situation was worse in Malta than in most European countries.
55 percent also gave a thumbs down on the environment in Malta.
Not surprisingly, just 12 percent gave a positive answer when asked about the affordability of energy in Malta. The same answer was given on housing affordability.
65 percent admitted to having problems paying their bills at the end of the month.
45 percent gave a positive assessment on the way public administration is run in Malta.
When asked to rank the most important issues facing Malta, 48 percent ranked immigration, an increase of eight percent over last year's survey. The cost of living came second at 41 percent followed by energy issues, the economic situation and unemployment. Near the bottom of the list were the education system, the environment and terrorism. Taxation, too, was not a major concern.
58 percent felt the government was sensitive to the issues that concerned the people and 57 percent said they tended to trust the Maltese Parliament, an increase of 15 points over last year. 50 percent trusted the governemnt as an institution, a gain of 5 percent.
The legal system is trusted by 57 percent.
When asked about the EU, less than half of respondents agreed that the EU takes into account Malta's views, and 65% said the EU imposes its view on Malta.
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Comments
Are you not afraid of the mass invasion by illegal immigrats carmen?
M.Gauci
We are already paying the eu more than we are getting from it.
Moreover, you did not consider that new members will lower the eu average GDP which means that we will be over the 75% eu average GDP and will lose most of the funds.
Huh? Who said that the Maltese trust the smaller parties? You can start with the beloved Alternattiva Demokratika; and I've never seen liberal parties doing anything trustworthy. They're just as bad as the big ones.
For starters, immigration – Castille keeps its head firmly buried into the sand with the EU keeping its distance i.e. donating money to deal with the situation -great!
It calls for the JOINT EFFORT of ALL Parliament to halt this unsustainable situation – a country which is no longer safe (effect on tourism next months), a country where employers prefer to employ these immigrants for peanuts (higher employment rate), the amount and variety of diseases (some of which contagious) is becoming widespread.
And we keep alienating Cikku l-poplu with things like City Gate project; the extensive Visa Reception Unit – as if we do not have enough problems…
My dear politicians - where are YOUR principles of governance, accountability – as usual, the hbieb tal-hbieb philosophy remains injected and in front of the plea of all of us commoners, you remain stiff and uncommitted – good riddance to all of us who next june will queue to cast our votes in the MEP elections – FOOLS!!!
Get informed people, don't let the government agenda impose fear and direct our thinking away from the real danger of our economy and Malta's problems!!
M Borg: You might of solved illegal immigration in Malta. All you have to do is convince Igalea to run.
I agree with you 100%,the Maltese people have been cheated,lied to,taken for a ride and everything.No one knows where we stand,we have a PM ,who is like a puppet with hundreds of strings attached to him and everyone pulling,poor thing what a mess, the bad thing is that we as " CIKKU IL POPLU " are suffering not him,Malta ended up like the times before the Knights came, when we where being sold from one country to the other during the Aragonese times .
2009 except for the measly 500 or so.
Commenting on the title, I think this is extremely good news for Malta. What it really means that less people are ready to lip read their political idols/gods for repetition and clear coloured glasses to the usual red and blue will be worn when debating which is a very healthy sign. Unfortunately not something that is evident on the Times of Malta viewers online comments yet, as the guns still smoke in deep red and blues in many cases….but there is lots of hope just round the corner.
Quote “58 percent felt the government was sensitive to the issues that concerned the people and 57 percent said they tended to trust the Maltese Parliament, an increase of 15 points over last year. 50 percent trusted the government as an institution, a gain of 5 percent”.
Since a politician belongs to the Nation as tree to a forest trust is immaterial one either votes or abstains. But the beginning and the end of this article is a contradiction to the title if the Parliament enjoys 57% support than the Maltese are still in love with their Politician, bless their soul!!
You should become the PM of Malta as you seem to have the solutions for all the problems this country is facing.
irresponsible spending of public funds, uncontrolled illegal migration etc etc.
@ Rita Spiteri Good point
So you think the Maltese government (and now even the opposition) want us to be in the EU to pay more than we are getting ? Does that make sense to you ? Well one day we will be in that situation. But when that happens, it will mean that we are well off as a country and not below the EU average.
As regards Guantanmo terrorists, I would suggest you check again or at least read the following link where it never says what you are implying to save Joe Muscat's face.
http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/human-rights-groups-praise-eu-resolution-accept-guantanamo-detainees-who-can
How can you call the eu a healthy initiative when it has destroyed and is destroying everything that we had?????
Edwin Formosa, M.Gauci
You got it wrong. They will be sent to the countries they used to live in or from where they were abducted, so Malta is out. Iceland wants to be in to be bailed out of their problems because of their irresponsible banking policies, not because they feel better in the eu.
Re the 60% feel that Malta has benefited from the EU, they still do not know how much money we are paying to the eu, €153,400 daily apart from all customs duties and levies while we pay the customs officers to collect them, part of VAT, the loss of our foreign reserves that were sent tothe ECB which is now getting the millions of interests instead of us etc...
This is apart from the mass invasion of illegal immigrats which Gonezipn is doing absolutely nothing about it and which the eu petty dictators could not care less about helping us, but are dictating that we keep them here at our expense to burn rape, hold up people and peddle drugs.
All these lies and deceits were part of the winning GonziPN strategy that attributed everything wrong to the EU. The European Union is a healthy initiative. It was turned upside down by the Nationalist party who although the EU is against his princples, tried to picture it as heavn on Earth. Because actually the people do not know what was actually negotiated. They are fooled by the old tune of bringing funds but never reminded how much we are contributing before. Judging from the incompetence of the present Government, the results in the survey are not surprising at all!
The crux of this matter is that trust in political parties and that includes,Joe Muscat has slumped. It is easy to understand this; with the recession, electricity rates being charged high when oil is low, labour voting in favour of bringing terrorists from Guantanamo to the EU (including Malta) and so many other things. I myself can say that I do not trust political parties so much. Politics, is after all, after votes. I am not as apologizing as a number of Labour / AD and PN voters are and have no problem in curising anyone, as first and foremost I am Maltese.
But you also have to mention that 60% feel that Malta has benefited from the EU.
The same people would not vote against Malta being in the EU. Suffice to say that now you have the MLP in favor of Malta being in the EU and now even Eurosceptics (Ellul Bonici ?)
It is very normal for the results to be skewed in times of recession because people dont cast their answer objectively. Keep in mind though that Iceland, a once, eurosceptic now want to join the union, because they have beared the brunt of being_outcast.
"When asked about the EU, less than half of respondents agreed that the EU takes into account Malta's views, and 65% said the EU imposes its view on Malta."
There goes your support for the eu and your subservience to it Gonezipn, EFApn and PL.
Continue being subservient to the eu petty dictators and not taking Malta OUT of the eu and you will see and continue to see our messages on our votes at elections time.
"When asked to rank the most important issues facing Malta, 48 percent ranked immigration, an increase of eight percent over last year's survey."
This is the answer for your inaction on the issue Gonezipn et al.