Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543797
points) as it has done in previous sur- veys. The only anomaly is the PN's 20-point lead in the Western region, which is normally evenly split. The survey also shows the PN lead- ing by 13.5 points in Gozo, a region which was evenly split in January. It is important to note that results for regional breakdowns are only in- dicative due to the substantially high- er margin of error in these subgroups. Middle-aged voters choose PL, young go for PN The survey also shows the PL lead- ing among 36- to 50-year-olds with a margin of 7.4 points and the PN lead- ing by a similar margin (6.8 points) among 16- to 35-year-olds. The PL leads by a tight margin of 3.5 points among pensioners aged 65 and over. The survey still shows a higher ab- stention rate among younger voters; 25.2% among 16- to 35-year-olds and 25.5% among 36- to 50-year-olds. The discrepancy between Robert Abela's substantially higher trust rating in the 16- to 35-year-old bracket, where he leads Alex Borg by seven points, sug- gests that Labour is penalised by the high abstention rate in this category. Even among 36- to 50-year-olds, Abela enjoys a wider lead over Borg than his party enjoys over the PN. Notably, the survey also shows a high- er rate of abstention among women, 22.4% of whom say they intend not to vote, compared to 16% of men. The lower turnout among women penalis- es the PL. While the government par- ty leads by a substantial 4.8 percentage points among men, the parties are neck and neck among women. This data has to be read with caution, as previous surveys have shown differ- ent trends. However, the finding reinforces a broader pattern, suggesting that the PN is currently performing better in demo- graphic categories with higher propor- tions of non-voters. Overall, this trend suggests that La- bour may have more room to grow electorally than the PN. A breakdown by education shows the PL is leading by a 10-point margin among the second- ary educated and by 37 points among those with a primary level of education. In contrast the PN leads by 5.6 points among the post-secondary educated and by 16 points among the tertiary ed- ucated. Support for third parties is highest among the tertiary educated, amongst which nearly 12% will be voting for ADPD, Momentum or other parties. THE ALL-NEW B10 STARTING FROM €20,900* (*2025 GOVERNMENT GRANTS AND SCRAPPAGE SCHEME INCLUDED. TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY). maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 MARCH 2026 grow if it convinces its past electorate to vote Government gets 3 out of 5 rating THE government's approval rating has remained satisfactory and stable, registering a statistically insignificant 0.2-point decline from the rating it re- ceived in January. 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). Once again the government manages to surpass the 2.5 pass mark with flying colours. The only segment giving the government a fail is PN voters. A breakdown by age shows the gov- ernment enjoying its highest rating among those aged between 51 and 65 (3.3) and its lowest among those aged over 65 (2.9). On a regional level, the government's rating ranges from 3.2 in the South Harbour to 3.1 in the Northern, North Harbour and South Eastern regions, to 2.8 in Gozo and 2.6 in the Western re- gion. Not surprisingly, current PN voters give the government the lowest rating (2.1) and current Labour voters the highest rating (4.1). The government also manages to get over the pass mark among current non-voters, who give the administra- tion a positive rating of 2.6. A breakdown by educational back- ground shows the government reg- istering the highest score among respondents with a primary level of education (3.4) and the lowest among those with a tertiary education (2.8). Age 110% 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ 41.6% 34% 24.4% 46.2% 31.3% 22.5% 41.2% 38.9% 20% 46.9% 46.1% 7.1% Robert Abela Alex Borg None Profile of non-voters Age Gender Region Education 2022 Voters 28% 26% 24% 22% 20% 18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ 25.2% 25.5% 17.5% 9.2% 0 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% All Voters How do you rate government's performance? 0 5 3 This survey was conducted between Monday 23 February and Friday 6 March. The survey is based on a representative sample of 784. 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, gender 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% 45.7% 35.6% 18.7% 41.6% 41.1% 17.3% 48.7% 23.8% 27.6% 51.3% 33.3% 15.5% 35.1% 47% 18% 40.8% 49.8% 9.4% Trust Barometer Robert Abela Alex Borg None 0 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 44.1% 37.7% 18.2% All Voters January 2026 Voting intention based on region mt SURVEY