Scholars have found “surprising”, “unhistorical” and “misleading” the findings of an EU survey showing only a third of Maltese consider being Christian one of the main characteristics of Malta’s identity.

The study shows the Maltese are among the EU nationalities that are most attached to religion, with 30 per cent of respondents raising the significance of “being Christian”. The only other populations that view Christianity as part and parcel of their national identity are Romanians (36 per cent), Cypriots (35 per cent) and Greeks (33 per cent).

Conducted by Misco among 500 respondents in Malta last March, the Eurobarometer survey delved into what makes for a Maltese and a European identity.

History professor and the director of the University’s Institute of ­­­Maltese Studies, Henry Frendo, said it was “misleading and misinforming” because the sources and method used, the target audience and what percentage responded to it were not explained.

Both Prof. Frendo and sociologist Fr Carmel Tabone said they had no idea of the methodology used, which was important to understand “what we are talking about”.

Prof. Frendo considered it was “unfair to the public” to publish the results of the survey in a leading newspaper like The Times without questioning the number of respondents. The original article did not explain the methodology.

He said the survey was “unhistorical”. The most “shattering” aspect of the findings was that none of the respondents mentioned a “shared past”, which is “what makes people feel they belong and have an affinity – not the fact that they have the euro instead of a Malta pound in their pocket”.

The replies were most materialistic and superficial, he said of the fact that, asked to mention the two most important elements that made them feel European, 45 per cent mentioned the euro.

“The absence of any reference to shared history, memories and aspirations and to a common heritage of sorts is really frightening,” Prof. Frendo said.

Eurobarometer statistics showed a European and national identity could co-exist but a Frenchman, for example, would first feel French, he said, pointing out this was contradicted by the survey.

Insisting the first thing to check was the methodology, Fr Tabone also expressed surprise at the percentage of Maltese who considered Christianity to be part of the national identity, saying he would have expected the figure to be higher, surpassing 50 per cent.

“If the question committed respondents by asking them if they were practising Catholics, I would have expected a low score. In this case, however, it is not a personal but a factual question. Whether it reflects your sentiments, or not, the fact remains that Christianity is part of the national identity,” Fr Tabone said.

According to the survey, religion has nothing to do with national identity for the majority of Europeans – just nine per cent attach importance to this factor.

The only other elements that make the Maltese are the fact that they are born in Malta (68 per cent) and have a right to vote in an election (31 per cent), both points rubbished by Prof. Frendo.