Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542822
shifts between parties and voter catego- ries, the main factor behind the drop in the PL's support since 2022 is the increase in abstention among its own voters. This suggests that if these voters were to return to Labour's fold, the incumbent party in government would enjoy a sig- nificantly more comfortable majority de- spite its losses to the PN. PL leads in four regions out of six The survey shows solid leads for the PL in the South Harbour (11.8 points) and South-eastern region (22.1 points). These regions include localities with historically solid PL majorities. But the PL also leads by five points in both the Northern and Western regions, which are traditionally more PN leaning. The PN's poor result in the Northern and Western regions is partly explained by a higher third-party vote—7.5% in the former and 6.5% in the latter. Nonetheless, the PN is now leading by a substantial 11-point margin in the North Harbour region, a heterogenous region which includes PN strongholds in the 9th and 10th districts, Labour-leaning localities like Qormi and more balanced localities like Birkirkara. The survey also suggests a tight race in Gozo, where the PN is leading by just 0.7 points. It is important to note that results for regional and other demographic break- downs are only indicative due to the sub- stantially higher margin of error when numbers are split into subgroups. This also explains the at times substantial vari- ations from one survey to the next. Tight battle for younger voters The January survey also shows a tight race among under 35-year-olds, where the PL leads by less than a point. But La- bour's advantage increases to 3.4 points among 36- to 50-year-olds and 14.8 points among 51- to 65-year-olds. But in a reversal of previous trends, the PN leads by 5.7 points among pensioners. The survey still shows a higher absten- tion rate among younger voters with 22.6% of 16- to 35-year-olds saying they will not vote. Likewise, 26.4% of 36- to 50-year-olds choose to abstain. A breakdown by education shows the PL leading by 18 points among the sec- ondary educated and by 30 points among those with a primary level of education, an indication of solid working class sup- port for the Labour Party. In contrast, the PN leads by eight points among the post-secondary educated and by 18 points among the tertiary educated. Support for third parties is only sig- nificant among the tertiary educated, amongst which 11% will be voting for Momentum, ADPD or other parties. THE ALL-NEW B10 STARTING FROM €20,900* (*2025 GOVERNMENT GRANTS AND SCRAPPAGE SCHEME INCLUDED. TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY). mt SURVEY maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 JANUARY 2026 Labour, loses to third parties Government gets satisfactory 3.2 rating THE government's approval rating has remained satisfactory and stable, registering a statistically insignificant 0.1-point increase from the rating it re- ceived in November. As in previous surveys respondents were asked to rate the "government led by Robert Abela" on a scale of 0 (very bad) to 5 (very good). And once again the government manages to surpass the 2.5 pass mark with flying colours. The only segment giving the govern- ment a fail is PN voters. A breakdown by age shows the gov- ernment enjoying its highest rating among over 51- to 65-year-olds (3.3) and its lowest among those aged 36 to 50 (3.1). On a regional level, the government's rating ranges from a notably high score of 3.6 in the South-eastern region and 3.4 in Gozo, to 3 in the North Harbour region. Not surprisingly, current PN voters give the government the lowest rating (2.2) and current Labour voters the highest (4.2). The government also manages to get over the pass mark among current non-voters, who give the administra- tion a positive rating of 2.7. A breakdown by educational back- ground shows the government reg- istering the highest score among respondents with a primary level of education (3.6) and the lowest among those with a tertiary education (2.9). Age 110% 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ 36.8% 29.7% 33.5% 36.7% 32.2% 31.1% 48.5% 38.1% 13.4% 44.5% 43.6% 12% Robert Abela Alex Borg None Profile of non-voters Age Gender Regions Education Past vote 28% 26% 24% 22% 20% 18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ 22.6% 26.4% 18.8% 8.3% None 0 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 22.8% All Voters How do you rate government's performance? 0 5 3.2 This survey was conducted between Wednesday 5 January and Friday 16 January. The survey is based on a representative sample of 813 respondents. The sampling approach followed a stratified random design, ensuring proportional representation across key demographic variables such as age, gender, and locality. 'Don't knows' were allocated through a statistical imputation. At a 95% confidence level, the overall survey results carry a margin of error of ±3.5%. It is important to note that while the overall sample provides robust national-level estimates, the margin of error increases when results are disaggregated into smaller strata or sub-groups (for example, by age bracket, region, or voting intention). This occurs because smaller sample sizes within each subgroup carry higher statistical variability. Therefore, findings at sub-group level should be interpreted with caution and viewed as indicative trends rather than precise estimates. All data collection adhered to professional survey standards, with strict quality control applied at each stage to minimise potential sources of bias, including questionnaire design, fieldwork supervision, and data processing. MaltaToday is responsible for formulation of questions, timing of survey, data collection and analysis of the results. Mizzi Consultancy Ltd provided statistical support and software. Age Gender Region Education 2022 Voters 100.0% 90.0% 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0 Northern N. Harbour S. Eastern S. Harbour Western Gozo PL PN Momentum ADPD Other Will not vote Region 110% 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 40.6% 29.1% 30.3% 34.2% 41.5% 24.3% 55.7% 25.1% 19.1% 46% 35.2% 18.9% 40.8% 37.5% 21.7% 40.2% 41.9% 18% Trust Barometer Robert Abela Alex Borg None 0 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 41.3% 35.9% 22.8% All Voters Voting intention based on region