Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1527558
JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt mt SURVEY SUNDAY • 6 OCTOBER 2024 | maltatoday Concerns about foreigners and IN a clear sign that inflation has been brought under control, concern about rising prices has dropped from being the country's main concern in February to fourth place. Inflation has been overtaken by concerns about foreigners working in Malta, traffic, and corruption in a MaltaToday survey asked people to list their topmost concern. Moreover, overpopulation has emerged as a separate concern, rank- ing in sixth place. This means that nearly a third of Maltese voters (31%) are either concerned about foreigners working here or by the sheer growth of the country's population. A comparison with a similar survey conducted in February shows that con- cern about inflation has dropped by 19 points, while concern about foreigners has remained stable at 22%. On the other hand, concern about traffic has increased by 12 points. Meanwhile, concern about corruption has dropped by three points to 14%, while concern about overdevelopment and construc- tion has increased by the same rate to 9.5%. The new issue on the radar is a ge- neric concern about overpopulation and the perception that the country has become overcrowded, a sentiment expressed by 8% of respondents. The overall picture emerging from the survey is that the Maltese are less concerned about bread-and-butter issues and are more focused on the consequences of the economic model, namely the increase in foreign work- ers, traffic, and environmental pres- sures. The three other minor concerns mentioned by less than 3% of re- spondents include the environment (3%), low wages and income (2%), and healthcare (1.5%). Concern about foreigners highest among non-voters A breakdown by current voting in- tentions shows that concern about foreigners is greatest among non-vot- ers (26.5%), followed by Labour voters (25%) and is substantially lower among Nationalist voters (17%). Concern about traffic is highest among Labour voters (28%), drops to 21% among non-voters, and decreases further to 14.5% among PN voters. Significantly, corruption, is the main concern of PN voters (27%) but drops to fourth place among non-voters (10%), among whom this issue is over- taken not just by concerns on foreign- ers and traffic but also by concerns on construction. Concern about overde- velopment drops to 9% among PN vot- ers and to 8% among PL voters. Construction worries higher among females, young voters Concern about foreign workers tops the list for all age groups except those over 65 years, among whom this issue is overtaken by traffic and corruption. However, older people are more like- ly to mention overpopulation as their main concern (12%). Concern about inflation (12%) re- mains higher among those over 65 years old, dropping to 7% among 16- to 35-year-olds. However, concern about overdevel- opment and construction is signifi- cantly higher among 16- to 35-year- olds. Among these young voters, 17% mentioned this issue as their topmost concern, compared to just 6% among those over 65. Concern about con- struction is also significantly higher among females (13%) compared to males (6%). South Harbour concerned about foreigners Concern about foreigners rises to a staggering 31% in the Labour-leaning South Harbour region, which includes the party's Cottonera strongholds. In contrast, concern about foreigners is lowest in Gozo (18%) and the more cosmopolitan North Harbour region (also 18%), which includes Sliema, Gzira, Msida, and St Julian's. Significantly, concern about con- struction and overdevelopment is now highest in the Southeastern region, which has seen a notable increase in construction activity over the past decade. In this Labour-leaning region, 15% mentioned this issue as their main concern. Concern about inf lation has fallen from 29% in February to 10% now, as concern about foreigners working in Malta re-emerges as the nation's top worry, followed by a growing concern about traffic 10