Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1509422
15 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 11 OCTOBER 2023 ANALYSIS peak of their working lives and who are probably also raising children. Among this category, abstention reaches a staggering 45%, higher than the 39% registered among those under 35 years. Also significant is the fact that absten- tion remains at a relatively high 30% even among 51- to 65-year-olds. This shows that although not voting pre- vails among under 50-year-olds, it is no longer a phenomenon limited to young- er disillusioned voters. Abstention only falls significantly among over 65-year-olds, where it dips to 13%. 6. Not voting is not exclusively a mid- dle-class caprice In an indication that non-voters are no longer restricted to a particular social class, the survey shows that abstention surpasses the 30% mark in all three main educational categories, namely the sec- ondary educated (30%), the post-sec- ondary educated (37%) and the tertiary educated (36%). It is only among those with a primary level of education who are mostly over 65 years of age that ab- stention falls to 11%. This suggests that abstention is not a preserve of more affluent middle-class voters who are more likely to have a university degree and historically lean towards the PN. In fact, the highest rate is registered among those who lack a degree but have attended a post-secondary course of ed- ucation. Moreover, the high abstention rate among the latter category has pushed Labour down to 28% just one percent- age point above the PN. But the high level of abstention in this category is very worrying for Labour that has been registering since 2008 major inroads among post-secondary educated voters. Labour may recover some support in this category since Abela's trust rating (34%) is higher than the level of support for his party (28%). But the PL also has additional wor- ries caused by the high abstention rate among the secondary educated. In this cohort of voters, Labour now leads by a sheer three percentage points. But Labour may yet improve its score by recovering those abstainers who trust Abela more than Grech. Additionally, Abela remains 11 points more popular than his party among secondary educat- ed voters. 7. Third parties enjoy more support in demographics with a higher percentage of non-voters The survey also suggests that cat- egories with a higher percentage of non-voters also tend to have a slightly higher percentage of non-party voters. For example, among 16- to 35-year- olds, despite having an abstention rate of 39%, a tenth will still vote for a third party. And among the tertiary educated while 36% will not be voting, 9% opt for a third party. This is further evidence of waning political loyalties that is more pronounced among under 50-year-olds and those with a post-secondary or ter- tiary level of education. But this does not give any indication on whether non-voters would be tempt- ed to vote for a third party if there is one which appeals to their aspirations. The question remains; is not voting now considered a more effective political statement than voting for a third par- ty or are current third parties unable to reflect the aspirations of these voters? who are this mixed bunch? Non-voters by age Non-voters by education Non-voters by gender Non-voters by region