A survey has shown that 71 per cent of the Maltese intend to vote in the forthcoming European Parliament elections, slightly higher than the overall EU average of 67 per cent.

A Eurobarometer survey looked into various aspects of the elections and views of EU membership and found that over a third of the Maltese were very likely to vote, roughly in line with the EU average.

However, the Maltese were considerably better informed about the elections than their EU counterparts. Only 38 per cent of EU citizens knew when the elections were to be held (for the record, between 23 and 26 May) – compared with an impressive 73 per cent of the Maltese.

The Eurobarometer also checked how people’s opinion of the issues that mattered had evolved over time, comparing the results in September 2018 with those taken for the current survey in February/March.

Immigration was – and remains – the main concern, with 72 per cent saying it should be discussed as a matter of priority, down four percentage points.

Combating climate change, on the other hand, has gained in importance, with 50 per cent now saying it should be tackled, up 11 percentage points.

In third place was the need to promote human rights and democracy, mostly along the same levels as last September, and the fight against terrorism in fourth, down to 34 per cent compared with 49 per cent in the previous survey.

The impact of the European Parliament was also more appreciated by the Maltese, with 31 per cent saying its role has strengthened over the years, compared with 21 per cent across the EU as a whole.

The positive attitude also extended towards the EU itself, with 67 per cent saying membership was a good thing (EU 61%), and 91 per cent saying the country had benefitted from membership (EU 68%).

If a vote on accession were held today, only 12 per cent would vote to leave (EU 14%).