Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1534549
AMID growing concerns about his deteriorating health, Pope Francis continues to en- joy near-universal approval in Malta. In MaltaToday's rate the leader survey, the pope scores an average of 8.3 out of 10, with 90% giving him a rating of 8 or higher. The pope is given top marks by 23.2% and in contrast, only 3% rate the Catholic church's leader between 0 and 4. The survey suggests an out- pouring of sympathy for the pope amid global apprehen- sion as to whether his legacy will survive a more conserva- tive successor. Surprisingly, the relatively progressive Francis receives his relatively lowest ratings from 16- to 35-year-olds (7.8) and among respondents with post-secondary or tertiary ed- ucation (8.1). This is mostly due to the lower number of younger and more educated respondents who give him full marks. For the same reason, women – 27.6% of whom give the pope full marks – rate Francis slight- ly higher (8.4) than men (8.1). Among men, 18.5% award him top marks.It is only among the post-secondary educated that a small minority (6%) rate the Pope at 4 or less. This percent- age drops to 2% or less among those with a tertiary or sec- ondary education. This slight- ly higher proportion of papal detractors among those who continued their studies be- yond secondary but have not attended university may re- flect a degree of cultural con- servatism in this demographic, which is also more sympathetic to Trump and Putin. Nationalist Party voters are al- so marginally more sympathetic to the Pope (8.4) than Labour voters (8.2) and non-voters (8.3). mt SURVEY SUNDAY • 20 APRIL 2025 | maltatoday 10 The greater antipathy towards the Ukrainian leader among La- bour supporters defies the Mal- tese government's own stance, which has consistently de- nounced Russia as the aggressor. But it could reflect recent decla- rations by Prime Minister Robert Abela that Ukraine cannot win the war and will have to com- promise. Moreover, Zelenskyy's higher ratings among PN voters partly reflect Roberta Metsola's support for the Ukrainian leader in her role as President of the Eu- ropean Parliament. Similarly, Ursula von der Leyen – who has recently led efforts to boost the EU's defence spending – is given a solid rating of 5.8 by PN voters, compared to just 3.9 among PL voters. While a third of Labour voters assign the Commission Pres- ident a low score (between 0 and 2), only 12% of PN voters do the same. The lower rating for the European Commission president among PL voters can be partly explained by the prime minister's recent ambivalence on the rearmament package, which he supported in Brussels while expressing public misgivings in Malta. Less divergence on Netanyahu There is less divergence in the assessment of Netanyahu, who, like Putin, faces charges of crimes against humanity before the In- ternational Criminal Court. The Israeli prime minister is given a slightly lower score by PL vot- ers (2.6) than by PN voters (2.9). However, while less than 13% of PL voters give Netanyahu a score of 6 or more, the share ris- es to 22% among PN voters. This could reflect the stronger anti-Is- raeli stance adopted by Labour MEPs, in contrast to Metsola's refusal to call out genocide in Gaza – even if the government itself has been hesitant to recog- nise the Palestinian state. Trump, Putin fare better among males, young people The survey reveals notable dif- ferences in how various demo- graphics assess global leaders based on age, gender, and edu- cation. Younger voters tend to be more favourable towards Trump, who receives his highest rating of 4.2 from those aged 16 to 35. His support drops significantly among older age groups, with those aged 65+ rating him at just 2.4. Similarly, Putin fares slightly better among the younger de- mographic, scoring 2.9 among 16- to 35-year-olds, but remains deeply unpopular overall, par- ticularly among older voters, where his rating plummets to 1.3 among those over 65. In contrast, Zelenskyy is ap- preciated both by the young- er generation, who rate him at 4.8, and by those aged over 65, among whom he scores 4.6. However, his ratings dip among middle-aged respondents (aged 36–50), who give him just 3.8.Netanyahu's ratings are fair- ly consistent across age groups, with a slight increase among younger voters, who rate him 3.1. Gender differences Gender also plays a role in the ratings, with significant gaps for some leaders. Trump, for exam- ple, is rated considerably higher by men (3.6) than by women (2.8), which reflects his contro- versial track record, including misogynistic comments. Putin follows a similar pattern, receiv- ing a higher rating from men (2.2) than women (1.6). Zelenskyy, however, is more appreciated by women (4.8) than men (4.2). Netanyahu's ratings are relatively equal between gen- ders, with men rating him at 2.8 and women giving him a slightly lower score of 2.6. Von der Ley- en, on the other hand, sees little gender disparity in her ratings, with women rating her slightly higher (4.7) compared to men (4.5). Zelenskyy, Von der Leyen highest among tertiary educated Educational background also influences perceptions, particu- larly with Trump, who is rated more favourably by those with post-secondary education (3.7). His rating drops to 3.5 among those with a tertiary education and to 2.9 among those with a secondary level of education. Similarly, Putin fares slightly better among the post-second- ary educated (2.7). Zelenskyy's ratings are high- est among the tertiary educated (4.8), with his score decreas- ing slightly among those with a post-secondary education (4.4) or secondary education (4.2). Ne- tanyahu's ratings show little var- iation based on education, with a slight increase among those with post-secondary education (3). Von der Leyen is rated highest by those with a tertiary educa- tion (5.1), but her score drops to 4.3 among the post-secondary educated and to 4.4 among the secondary educated. Identikit of the Maltese Trumpist The survey suggests that the typical Maltese Maga support- er is more likely to be male, post-secondary educated, aged between 16 and 35 and Labour leaning. The same applies to the smaller category of Putin sympa- thisers who also tend to thrive in the same demographic groups. On the other hand, while follow- ing similar patterns in respect to age and gender, the typical Net- anyahu supporter is more likely to be PN leaning. > FROM PREVIOUS PAGE PN Voters The survey was carried out between Friday 28 March 2025 and Monday 8 April 2025. 651 respondents opted to complete the survey. Stratified random sampling based on region, age and gender was used to replicate the Maltese demographic. The estimated margin of error is 3.84% for a confidence interval of 95% for the overall results. Demographic and sub-group breakdowns have significantly larger margins of error. Male Female 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 PN Voters Non-voters PL Voters 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 PN Voters Non-voters PL Voters Ursula von der Leyen: 4.6 Overall Male Female 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 Non-voters PL Voters Benjamin Netanyahu: 2.7 Overall Male Female PN Voters 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 Non-voters PL Voters Pope Francis: 8.3 Overall Male Female PN Voters The survey was carried out between Friday 28 March 2025 and Monday 8 April 2025. 651 respondents opted to complete the survey. Stratified random sampling based on region, age and gender was used to replicate the Maltese demographic. The estimated margin of error is 3.84% for a confidence interval of 95% for the overall results. Demographic and sub-group breakdowns have significantly larger margins of error. Male Female 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 PN Voters Non-voters PL Voters 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 PN Voters Non-voters PL Voters Ursula von der Leyen: 4.6 Overall Male Female 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 Non-voters PL Voters Benjamin Netanyahu: 2.7 Overall Male Female PN Voters 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 Non-voters PL Voters Pope Francis: 8.3 Overall Male Female PN Voters 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 PN Voters Non-voters PL Voters The survey was carried out between Friday 28 March 2025 and Monday 8 April 2025. 651 respondents opted to complete the survey. Stratified random sampling based on region, age and gender was used to replicate the Maltese demographic. The estimated margin of error is 3.84% for a confidence interval of 95% for the overall results. Demographic and sub-group breakdowns have significantly larger margins of error. Male Female Male Female 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 PN Voters Non-voters PL Voters Volodymyr Zelenskyy: 4.4 Overall 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 PN Voters Non-voters PL Voters Ursula von der Leyen: 4.6 Overall Male Female 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 Non-voters PL Voters Benjamin Netanyahu: 2.7 Overall Male Female PN Voters 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 Non-voters PL Voters Pope Francis: 8.3 Overall Male Female Pope Francis universally loved PN Voters 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 PN Voters Non-voters PL Voters Vladimir Putin: 1.9 The survey was carried out between Friday 28 March 2025 and Monday 8 April 2025. 651 respondents opted to complete the survey. Stratified random sampling based on region, age and gender was used to replicate the Maltese demographic. The estimated margin of error is 3.84% for a confidence interval of 95% for the overall results. Demographic and sub-group breakdowns have significantly larger margins of error. Male Female Male Female 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 PN Voters Non-voters PL Voters Volodymyr Zelenskyy: 4.4 Overall 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 PN Voters Non-voters PL Voters Ursula von der Leyen: 4.6 Overall Male Female 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 Non-voters PL Voters Benjamin Netanyahu: 2.7 Overall Male Female PN Voters 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 Non-voters PL Voters Pope Francis: 8.3 Overall Male Female