Immigration was the main issue which influenced Maltese voters’ choice, followed by economic growth and energy, according to a new European Parliament Eurobarometer survey providing insight into the views of Europeans following the MEP elections in May.

Trust in EU institutions was at its highest in Malta with 69 per cent  of respondents saying they trusted such institutions.

This was four per cent higher than in  2009 with Malta and Luxembourg topping the list.

Up to 63 per cent of the Maltese (five per cent more than in 2009) believe the European Parliament ‘takes into consideration the concerns of European citizens’.

The ‘Post-Election Survey – European Elections 2014’ revealed that 10 years after EU accession, 68 per cent of the Maltese considered membership as a good thing and 76 per cent felt ‘attached to Europe’ (+12 percentage points on 2009).

A total 84 per cent of respondents stated they felt citizens of the EU. This was the highest figure from among all member states.

At European level, unemployment (45 per cent, +8 on 2009) was considered to be the main issue on people’s minds. In Malta, this was the case for about a fifth of the voters (21 per cent). Economic growth was the second most important issue for Europeans (40 per cent).

At 23 per cent, concern on migration (+7 per cent) had grown considerably since 2009 even at European level. The importance of the issue increased in 19 member states, with results doubling in some states, including in the United Kingdom (42 per cent, +21 per cent) and France (21 per cent, +11 per cent). In Malta, this figure shot up to 43 per cent of the electorate.

The survey results can be seen here.