Rising prices, immigration and environmental protection topped the concerns listed by the Maltese in a national survey on Malta conducted in spring by Eurobarometre, the EU statistics agency.

The report shows that 40 percent of respondents in a 500-people sample listed inflation as their top concern, followed by 29 percent who mentioned immigration and 21 percent who were concerned about the environment.

The survey results showed that concern over immigration dropped by 11 percent compared to a survey carried out in autumn, a common trend given that immigration starts to rise as summer approaches.

The report also showed that 85 percent of the Maltese felt satisfied with life.

When asked about their expectations for the next 12 months, 40 percent said they expected life to get better, while 13 percent expected a deterioration.

40 percent expected the economy to improve over the next year while 17 percent believed it would worsen. In contrast, in the EU, 24 percent expected the economic situation to improve and 26 percent expected it to get worse.

The report showed that the Maltese had greater confidence in the EU institutions than the EU average: 61 percent of the Maltese trusted the European Parliament (compared to the EU average of 52 percent); 58 percent trusted the European Commission (EU average = 47 percent) and 55 percent trusted the European Council (EU average = 43 percent)

When asked about EU membership, 60 percent of respondents said it was a good thing and only 12 percent said it was bad. Seventy-two percent were favourable to euro adoption.