Malta was ranked in the fourth tier for the way members of its community live and work together. Photos: Darrin Zammit Lupi

The Maltese trust each other much less than citizens of many other developed countries, according to a study on social cohesion.

Malta was ranked in the bottom tier for the extent to which people trust each other in the study by the Bertelsmann Stiftung and Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany.

The countries studied were all the EU members, except Croatia, and seven Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states: Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the US.

They were assessed on nine criteria based on social relations, connectedness and focus on the common good. For each countries were ranked in one of five tiers.

Malta was ranked in the fourth tier for overall social cohesion, down from the second tier in 2008.

Social cohesion is defined as the way members of a community live and work together.

“It is crucial for any society’s future and has a profound impact on a person’s perceived well-being. More cohesion equals more life satisfaction,” Liz Mohn, vice-chair of the Bertelsmann Foundation’s executive board, said.

Breaking down the results further, Malta was placed in the fourth tier for acceptance of diversity, up from the bottom tier in 2008. This low ranking may stem from local hostility towards asylum seekers and irregular migrants who arrive by boat from Libya.

Modern societies are based not on solidarity rooted in similarity, but on solidarity rooted in diversity

The study’s authors said: “Social cohesion is only possible in modern societies if people are able to deal appropriately with diversity.”

The study dispels the popular belief that immigration is intrinsically harmful to social cohesion as the share of immigrants in a country’s population shows no statistically significant effect in general.

“Modern societies are based not on solidarity rooted in similarity, but on solidarity rooted in diversity and mutual interdependence,” Stephan Vopel, Bertelsmann Stiftung programme director, said.

“They need an inclusive form of social cohesion that accepts a multitude of lifestyles and identities, but also views them as a strength.”

Malta was also placed in the fourth tier for identification with the country, perception of fairness and respect for social rules.

The island’s strengths include social networks, trust in institutions, solidarity and helpfulness.

However, the island’s rankings for trust in institutions, solidarity and helpfulness are lower than they were five years ago.

Malta’s profile did not resemble that of any other countries.

The report found that the three most important socio-economic factors associated with social cohesion are national wealth, a country’s income inequality, and its level of development towards a modern information society.

According to the study, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland have the highest levels of social cohesion, followed by Canada, the US, Australia, and New Zealand.

The study involved analysing data collected over the past two-and-a-half decades to see how social cohesion has changed in each state since 1989.

According to its authors, it uses a complex methodology that requires a high level of expertise.