Perceived poverty in Malta is on the rise and many are finding it hard to pay their ordinary bills on time, according to an EU-wide survey published in Brussels.

Sixty-one per cent of the Maltese surveyed admitted struggling to make ends meet, particularly when it came to paying bills, such as for water and electricity consumption, and effecting mortgage payments on time, the Eurobarometer study conducted last month found.

The situation is most taxing for 31.8 per cent of those who said they were "constantly struggling" and 29 per cent said they were "struggling". On the other hand, 28.5 per cent said they had no difficulty paying their bills promptly.

According to the survey, 7.2 per cent of Maltese said they had fallen back in paying some of their bills and 13 per cent of households admitted to having had some difficulties buying essential items such as food.

Although the situation in the other EU member states is not rosy either, since many are feeling the pinch of the economic crisis, only 48.7 per cent said they were struggling.

The perception of the majority of Malta's population is that poverty is on the increase, according to the survey's results.

A high 64.8 per cent felt that poverty had increased during the preceding 12 months of the survey, with 27.9 per cent admitting it had increased "strongly". Only 11.4 per cent felt poverty had declined.

Future prospects are not looking any better. While 54.7 per cent said they were expecting their household's financial situation to remain the same in the coming 12 months, 26 per cent thought it would become "worse", while only 11.1 per cent expected the situation to get "better".

In the EU, the number of citizens perceiving an increase in poverty is even worse than in Malta, with 74.7 per cent saying destitution was rising in their respective country in the past year.

The financial and economic crisis faced by Europe and the calls for austerity measures have made their mark on people's perception of poverty. Greece, passing through an economic upheaval, stands out with 85 per cent believing poverty has increased in their country.

A total of 83 per cent of the French, 82 per cent of Bulgarians, 77 per cent of Romanians and 75 per cent of Italians share this view about their own country.

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