Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1429136
9 ANALYSIS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 NOVEMBER 2021 79% rate economic situation in Malta as 'good' JAMES DEBONO WHILE 79% of the Maltese rate the current economic situation in the country positively, only 15% rate it negatively, a survey held in the last week of Sep- tember in all European regions shows. The Eurobarometer survey confirms that the vast majority of Maltese still think that the economy is going strong, but at a lower rate than in 2018 when a staggering 86% of the Maltese described the situation as very good or rather good. The survey shows a more pos- itive outlook on the economy in Malta than in the entire EU, where 68% rate the economic situation in their region as be- ing positive. But compared to 2018 the percentage who rate the eco- nomic situation as "very good" has decreased by 17 points. This was compensated by a 10-point increase in those who deem the economic situation as "rather good". On the other hand, those who rate the eco- nomic situation as "bad" or "rather bad" has increased by 9 points over 2018 levels. This suggests that while the Maltese remain largely posi- tive on the local economic sit- uation, their outlook has been dampened since 2018, possibly due to the impact of the COV- ID-19 pandemic. But when asked whether they expect the economic situation to improve or get worse in the next year, 46% replied that they expect an improvement, 14% expect it to get worse and 32% expect it to remain the same. In the entire EU, only 21% expect the situation to get better while 25% expect it to get worse. The same survey also shows the Maltese are more likely to trust both the European Union and the national government than most other Europeans. While 54% of the Maltese trust the national government, only 44% of all EU respondents think likewise. But compared to 2018 trust in the national government has declined by 7 points. Trust in the European Union is also higher in Malta: 72% in Malta compared to 61% in the entire EU. Compared to 2018, trust in the EU in Malta has in- creased by 13 points. When asked which are the two most important issues fac- ing their region, 39% of Maltese mentioned the environment, 31% mentioned immigration and 23% referred to the cost of living. The survey also shows that 54% of the Maltese think that in general Malta is going in the right direction while only 34% think the country is going in the wrong direction. But the percentage of Maltese who think that the country is going in right direction is 3 points lower than in the entire EU. But percentage of those who rate economic situation as 'very good' drops by 17 points from 2018, trust in government falls from 61% to 54% Think the economic situation is good Think the economic situation is very good Think economic situation is rather good Think economic situation is bad Trust the national government Trust the European Union Think country is going in the right direction 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 86% 79% 48% 31% 39% 49% 6% 15% 61% 54% 59% 72% 54% 2018 2021