Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1536441
13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 JUNE 2025 Political polarisation is a concern for over two-thirds of Maltese A European Commission survey shows that 71% of Maltese are concerned about political polarisation, with 41% saying they are very worried. The Maltese are also the most likely in the EU to be very worried about climate change. MALTA has the third highest share of people in the EU who are very worried about political polarisation, after the Nether- lands (53%) and Cyprus (43%), two countries where far-right support has grown in the past year. These findings emerge from a newly published Eurobarom- eter survey on fairness, carried out in January and February, which included 503 respond- ents in Malta. Across the EU, nearly three-quarters of respondents (72%) said they were worried about political polarisation. Among these, nearly one-third are very worried (31%), while slightly more than two-fifths are fairly worried (41%). In contrast, in Malta 41% are very worried and only 30% are fairly worried. A national breakdown shows that in 22 Member States, at least 50% of respondents are worried about political polari- sation. The countries with the highest levels of concern are the Netherlands (89%), Germa- ny (82%), and Italy (79%), while the lowest are Latvia (38%) and Lithuania (53%). The survey also asked re- spondents about their level of concern regarding a number of other issues. It found that 58% of Maltese are 'very worried' about infla- tion, compared to 54% of Euro- peans overall. The Maltese are also high- ly concerned about climate change, with 50% saying they are 'very worried'—the highest rate in the European Union. A further 38% are "fairly worried". This brings the overall level of concern about climate change in Malta to 88%, the third highest in Europe. The coun- tries with the highest levels of concern are Italy and Portugal (both 89%), followed by Malta. The lowest levels were regis- tered in Estonia (41%), Czechia (56%), and Latvia (62%). Despite high rates of home ownership, the Maltese are also more concerned than average about housing affordability. In fact, 53% said they are very worried and 30% said they were fairly worried. Satisfaction with public services Maltese respondents are the most satisfied in Europe with access to quality long-term care for dependent persons. Long-term care refers to ser- vices provided to individuals who, due to age, illness, disa- bility, or cognitive decline, are unable to carry out essential daily tasks on their own over an extended period. Besides Malta, the highest satisfaction rates were report- ed in Luxembourg (65%) and Belgium (63%). The lowest were recorded in Greece (17%), Estonia (26%), and Finland (28%). EU-wide, slightly more than two-fifths of respondents (41%) said they were satisfied with access to quality long- term care. The Maltese, who benefit from free childcare, are also the third most satisfied in the EU with access to quality child- care. The countries with the high- est satisfaction rates are Slo- venia (78%), Sweden (75%), and Malta (72%). The lowest were recorded in Greece (23%), Germany (34%), and Portugal (36%). Across the EU, half of re- spondents (50%) expressed sat- isfaction with access to quality childcare. The Maltese also reported high levels of satisfaction with access to quality healthcare (66%) and social services (65%). The highest satisfaction rates with healthcare were recorded in Luxembourg (86%), Belgium (79%), and the Netherlands (74%), with Malta ranking eighth. The lowest were in Greece (18%), Portugal (33%), and Lat- via (36%). EU-wide, just over half (52%) said they were sat- isfied with healthcare services, while nearly half (47%) were dissatisfied. As for social services, the highest satisfaction rates were reported in Luxembourg (77%), Belgium (76%), and Denmark (73%), with Malta again rank- ing seventh. Despite generally high sat- isfaction with public services, only 41% of Maltese said they are satisfied with access to af- fordable housing. However, this is still higher than the EU average of 32%, re- flecting a broader affordability crisis across the continent. The countries with the high- est satisfaction rates with af- fordable housing are Austria (49%), Denmark (45%), and Belgium (42%), with Malta once more ranking seventh. The lowest scores were record- ed in the Netherlands (11%), Greece (14%), and Slovenia (18%). Finally, the survey shows that an overwhelming 92% of Mal- tese are satisfied with their cur- rent job, including 42% who say they are very satisfied. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Malta has the third highest share of people in the EU who are very worried about political polarisation Maltese are most likely in EU to very worried about climate change