International acts of terrorism are among the island’s main fears even though the Maltese are the least likely to be affected, a study found.
Figures compiled in a recent Eurobarometer survey found that, at 10 per cent, the Maltese were the second most likely European citizens to cite acts of terror as their biggest fear.
The outcome is a bit of a surprise as similar studies rated Malta among the safest countries in terms of terrorism.
The Global Terrorism Index last year listed Malta as one of the few countries to have been completely unaffected by terror campaigns.
The World Peace Index had also labelled Malta a terror-free zone, ranking the island among the top three countries safe from splinter cells.
Yet, 48 per cent of Maltese surveyed in the Eurobarometer study listed this as one of their many fears.
Another 10 per cent said they thought about the danger regularly and felt this was their biggest concern.
The UK topped the list of countries living in fear of terror (13 per cent) while Greece and Spain were the least concerned, with only two per cent of citizens saying they had given the matter a second thought.
The UK is no stranger to terrorism, having been subject to a staggering 46 outrages over the past five years.
The Maltese, on the other hand, have never been targeted by terrorists, although the island was alleged to have been involved in the Lockerbie plane bombing back in 1988.
About 270 people were killed when an in-flight explosion downed a Pan Am Boeing 747 jumbo jet over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.
The incident led to lengthy investigations which marred Malta amid claims that the luggage in which the bomb was carried had started its journey from Luqa airport.
In 1985, about 70 people died when Egyptian commandos stormed an Egypt Air plane at Malta International Airport. The flight had been hijacked by an extremist group known as the Egyptian Revolution shortly after taking off from Greece.
Terror is not the only thing keeping the Maltese people up at night.
In fact, the study found that climate change was the island’s biggest concern. At 30 per cent, the Maltese were the second most likely EU citizens to be primarily worried about this, followed by Sweden.
Poverty, hunger and the lack of drinking water were other major concerns listed. Indeed, about 28 per cent of Maltese respondents said that this was their biggest concern.
The international economy remained high on the worry list (10 per cent) while armed conflict, epidemics and nuclear warfare all featured within the EU average.