Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543912
THE cost of living and purchasing power are the two most important issues that determine the electoral choices voters make, MaltaToday's survey gauging the nation's mood shows. Respondents were asked to iden- tify the two issues most likely to influence their vote in the next election, and the results suggest in- flation (10.1%) and spending pow- er (9.3%) will be the most important considerations. Taken together, these two closely linked issues are mentioned by nearly a fifth of respondents. These issues are close- ly followed by traffic (9%), the state of the economy (8.2%), population growth (8%), corruption (6.7%) and the en- vironment (6%). Other issues mentioned by more than 2% of respondents include healthcare (3.2%), construction and overdevelopment (2.9%), foreign workers (2.9%), and the need for continuity (2.4%). Migration pressures The results suggest that apart from bread-and-butter concerns, a sizeable share of respondents is worried about migration pressures. If population growth and foreign workers are grouped together, they would equate to 10.9%, rendering it the topmost rated issue that would determine how a person votes. Sim- ilarly, if the environment is com- bined with construction, the issue would climb up the rankings. The survey suggests that concern about corruption, concentrated among PN voters, where it rises to 12.4%, is unlikely to sway voters supporting other parties. Among current PN voters, infla- tion emerges as the most important electoral issue (12.9%), followed by corruption (12.4%), traffic (11.7%), population growth (10.3%), spend- ing power (7.4%), the environment (7.1%), the economy (5.2%) and overdevelopment (5.1%). Among PL voters, spending pow- er emerges as the most important electoral issue (15.1%), followed by the economy (12.1%), the cost of living (8.9%), traffic (8%), and population growth (5.9%). A large share of non-vot- ers (38%) did not reply to this question, reflecting their stated intention not to vote. Among those who did respond, the cost of liv- ing (9.5%) emerges as the most important issue, fol- lowed by population growth (8.8%), traffic (5.7%), corruption (5.2%) and the economy (5%). Inflation peaks among young A demographic breakdown shows that electoral concern about infla- tion peaks among 16- to 35-year- olds (13.9%). This age group is also the most likely to cite traffic (11%), the economy (9.3%) and the envi- ronment (8.5%) as key issues. Concern about population growth peaks among 36- to 50-year-olds (10.4%), while concern about spending power peaks among 51- to 65-year-olds (10.2%). Among pensioners, the topmost determining factor is the cost of living (10.6%) followed by spending power (9.3%), corruption (8.9%), traffic (7.8%), population growth (7.6%), the economy (6.1%) and healthcare (5.3%). A regional breakdown shows that the environment (12.1%) tops the list of electoral concerns in the Northern region. In this relative- ly affluent region, the economy (10.1%) is the second most critical issue that determines voters' choic- es, followed by population growth (9.2%). In Gozo, spending power (11.9%), the cost of living (11.3%) and the economy (10.5%) dominate the top three spots. Nonetheless, Gozitan voters are also the second likeliest after the Northern region to cite the envi- ronment (8%) as a matter that influ- ences their vote. In contrast, the cost of living and spending power dominate in Gozo (, the Northern Harbour, Western and Southern Harbour regions. Traffic (11.4%) and population growth (9.4%) rank highest as issues of influence in the Labour-leaning South Eastern region. The high share of respondents across most demographic groups who identify inflation and spending power as their main electoral con- cerns, followed by the state of the economy, is in line with the gov- ernment's current focus on policies such as energy subsidies and tax cuts. However, the survey also suggests that the government's handling of the inflationary spiral resulting from the Iran war could become a decisive factor in the next election. Reporting by James Debono THE ALL-NEW B10 STARTING FROM €20,900* (*2025 GOVERNMENT GRANTS AND SCRAPPAGE SCHEME INCLUDED. TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY). mt SURVEY SUNDAY • 15 MARCH 2026 | maltatoday Bread and butter issues influence how people vote NATION'S ELECTION MOOD 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 Age Gender Region Education Current voters 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ Economy/Public Finance Spending power Cost of Living Corruption Population growtP Enviornment Traf{c/Parking What influences your vote most? Cost of Living Spending power Traf�c/Parking Economy/Public Finance Population growth Corruption Enviornment 10.1 9.3 9 8.2 8 6.7 6 The issues that matter