A study of 34 countries by the Bertelsmann Foundation at Jacob’s University in Germany, conducted over a period of 25 years, has found that whereas measures of social cohesion over the period have remained remarkably stable in all countries, Malta, uniquely, has bucked the trend. The island’s profile apparently bears no noticeable resemblance to those of other countries.
The phrase “only in Malta” therefore takes on a new dimension.
The foundation calculated cohesion based on 58 indicators, measuring nine dimensions within three domains of ‘social relations’, ‘connectedness’ and ‘focus on the common good’. The study rates the social cohesion of countries relative to one another in five tiers (top, second, middle, fourth and bottom). The survey downgraded Malta from its second tier ranking between 2004 and 2008 to the fourth tier in 2009 to 2012, the only country to fall by as much as two tiers, and leaving it ranked in 20th position overall.
Indeed, Malta’s social cohesion ranking has fluctuated over the whole 25-year period, from the second tier between 1989 and 1995, rising to the top tier between 1996 and 2003, back into the second tier between 2004 and 2008 and down to the fourth, penultimate tier between 2009 and 2012 – a rather erratic indication of social cohesion compared with all the other countries in the survey.
As the deputy chairman of the foundation pointed out: “Solidarity, or social cohesion, 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.” Social cohesion is how members of a community live and work together. It is, in a sense, a measure of national morale. Thus, social cohesion is strong in the wealthy Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland and weakest in the southern European countries that were hardest hit by the economic crisis, like Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania.
In this respect, too, Malta with its relatively successful economy is the exception with the reason for its high showing between 2004 and 2008 perhaps being attributable to the first glow of EU membership, while its plunge to the fourth tier between 2009 and 2012 reflected the domestic political turmoil of that period and a consequent loss of position in the top tiers in terms of identification with the nation and perception of fairness.
A detailed examination of the findings of the 2009 to 2012 survey as they affect Malta highlights some interesting facets about social cohesion. Perhaps the most striking of these is the people’s apparent distrust of each other and lack of acceptance of diversity, where the scores are consistently in the bottom two tiers.
The former is not entirely explicable given Malta’s reputation for friendliness. The latter, however, may stem from hostility towards irregular immigrants as the recent outburst of racism and xenophobia has demonstrated, even though the study comprehensively dispels the belief, popular in Malta, that immigration is harmful to social cohesion because the share of immigrants in a country shows no statistically significant effect.
While Malta can take comfort from the findings on trust in institutions, solidarity and helpfulness and civic participation, it not unexpectedly scores badly on respect for social rules (think Maltese driving habits) and perceptions of fairness.
Only time will tell whether Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s election-winning battle-cry of Malta Taghna Lkoll will suffice to raise social cohesion to the top tiers again or lead to disappointment at the practical failure to deliver on his promises.