Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532272
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 FEBRUARY 2025 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Find out more: MODERNISING EDUCATION IN EUROPE NextGenerationEU makes us stronger. Together, we are making sure that young Europeans are ready for the future. With NextGenerationEU, we are improving access to quality education at all levels. Maltese vaccine optimism drops, but trust in science holds VACCINE scepticism has increased sig- nificantly in Malta, rising from just 3% in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic to 26% now. Despite this shift, the vast ma- jority (69%) of Maltese still believe vac- cine research will have a positive impact, according to a recent Eurobarometer sur- vey. The survey reveals that the number of Maltese who expect vaccine research to have a positive outcome has dropped by 24 percentage points since 2021. In the survey, respondents were asked about various areas where new technol- ogies are being developed. They were asked whether they believed these tech- nologies would have a positive, negative, or no effect on their way of life in the next 20 years. Across the EU, the percentage of re- spondents who expect a positive outcome from advances in the field has also de- creased by nine points. However, at 77%, vaccine optimism remains higher than in Malta. More than nine in 10 respondents in Sweden (95%), Denmark and Finland (both 93%), and Portugal (91%) think new technologies in vaccines and combating infectious diseases will have a positive ef- fect. The lowest proportions are seen in Romania (50%), Slovenia (57%), and Lat- via (60%). The survey suggests that while the Mal- tese generally tend to be optimistic about scientific and technological advances, they are becoming more hesitant on cer- tain topics, such as vaccines. Among the topics mentioned, the Mal- tese were most positive about advances in renewable energy, with 89% expecting a positive impact, and in information tech- nology, where 88% foresee benefits for society. On both topics, the Maltese rank among the most optimistic in Europe. On renewable energy, the Maltese are slightly more positive than respondents in the EU as a whole (87%). However, they are less optimistic than the Swedes (95%) but far more optimistic than the Romani- ans (62%). On information technology, they are slightly less optimistic than the Irish (89%) but much more optimistic than the Romanians (62%). Compared to the EU as a whole, the Maltese are also more positive in their outlook towards brain enhancement technologies and artificial intelligence. The Maltese are among the least likely to expect a positive outcome from further research on nuclear energy. The survey shows that in 16 EU coun- tries, the proportion of those who believe new technologies in nuclear energy will have positive effects has increased since 2021. The largest increases were observed in Denmark (66%, +22 pp), France (66%, +21 pp), and Germany (44%, +19 pp). On the other hand, in eight EU coun- tries, respondents are now less likely to be positive about nuclear energy, with the largest decline seen in Malta (49%, -13 pp). The Maltese are also less optimistic about the outcome of research on space exploration, with only 54% expecting a positive impact. The belief that space exploration will have a positive effect on life in the next 20 years is most widely held in Greece (76%), Czechia (75%), and Hungary (74%). Re- spondents in Romania (50%), Malta (54%), and France and Austria (both 56%) are the least likely to predict a positive effect. However, while the Maltese are sceptical about some aspects of scientif- ic research, they are surprisingly more likely to believe that there should be no limit to what science is allowed to investi- gate. While 63% of respondents in Malta endorsed this statement, only 46% of re- spondents in the EU as a whole agreed. Moreover, the overall influence of sci- ence and technology on society is consid- ered positive by 83% of the Maltese.