Most Times of Malta survey respondents are optimistic about their private lives but a mere one in 10 express hope in the environment or national politics.
The online survey of readers’ hopes and expectations for 2016 was carried out at the beginning of the year and the large majority of those who replied were highly educated males in full employment. The sample was not representative of the Maltese population.
The survey was conducted by Carmel Cefai and Natalie Galea from the Centre for Resilience and Socio-emotional Health at the University of Malta. It was part of an international study led by the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and Swissfuture, which also included Austria, Czech Republic, France, Norway and Switzerland.
When asked about how optimistic they were for 2016, nearly seven in 10 Maltese participants said they were hopeful about their private lives.
Four in 10 expressed optimism about the national economy.
As the graph here shows, however, far fewer were optimistic about social issues, national politics or the environment.
Asked about the personalities they felt inspired hope, readers preferred to put more weight on themselves, followed by their spouses/partners, parents and friends.
Some 51 per cent mentioned God. The people who inspired the least hope turned out to be financial experts, bankers and businessmen, according to the readers. A whopping 90 per cent agreed that hope was important in their life, while 85 per cent felt that it improved the quality of their life. Around two thirds considered themselves to be happy people. The vast majority wanted to make a difference to the future, leave behind a legacy and make the world a better place.
Readers cherished personal health above all, followed by family and marriage, harmony in life, personal independence, relationships and a secure job. Younger participants gave more priority to success at work, a more secure job and sexual/romantic experiences.
Conversely, older participants underlined the importance of religious and spiritual experiences.
In line with the traditional view of the Maltese as an altruistic people, the vast majority enjoyed helping family, friends and others in need, felt at peace with themselves when they did so and believed that aiding the poor was the right thing to do.
Nearly all participants believed that children should be taught about the importance of helping others.
The majority felt upset by the misfortunes of others and when people were treated disrespectfully or unfairly.
However, they tended to be less sympathetic towards people who brought about their own serious illness.