Life is good in Malta – at least for 95% of those who live here, with 30% saying they were 'very' satisfied with the lives they lead.

Malta was in fifth place, with Denmark at the top with a 97% satisfaction rating. It was one of 11 member states with a satisfaction rating above 90%.

Greece was at the bottom of the list, with just 42% saying they were happy with their lives.

According to a Eurobarometer survey published on Tuesday, politics is not as rare an obsession as one might think. In the EU, 22% speak about politics frequently – the same percentage as in Malta.

Given the economic turmoil in the country, it is perhaps no surprise that Greece ranked higher – with 35 %, but it is harder to explain why the second ranking goes to Sweden where 36% speak about politics frequently.

And given that there were elections there, the Netherlands were understandably on top of the list with 41% – which makes it harder to understand the French apathy given that this country also had elections this year.

Asked how they judged the situation in Malta, 75% of the Maltese said it was good or very good, of which 16% said it was very good. The EU average was 50% ‘good’, and only 5% said ‘very good’. The Netherlands led with 91% saying the situation there was good or very good, with Malta in seventh place.

Crime was mentioned as the top Maltese concern, followed by immigration.