Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543912
JUST under two thirds of the elec- torate have always voted for the same party in previous elections, MaltaToday's survey gauging the nation's election mood shows. The survey shows that 64.6% of voters have been loyal to the same party, while 29.9% have voted for different parties—a category collo- quially referred to as floaters. Significantly, the current crop of respondents who say they will not vote in the next general election includes a larger share of voters (47.1%) who have always been loy- al to their party. This suggests that non-voters are more likely to come from the party grass roots. Floating voters make up 36.2% of those intending not to vote. Since the survey also shows that former Labour voters are more rep- resented among current non-vot- ers—the PL loses 13% of its 2022 general election support to absten- tion compared to just 6% of PN voters—this suggests that Labour is losing both floating voters and traditional Labour voters to absten- tion. This may complicate the party's strategy to win back these two cate- gories of non-voters. The party may need to adopt different approaches to re-engage long-standing Labour supporters than those used to at- tract former PN voters, who shifted to Labour in 2013, 2017 and 2022. Crucially, the survey also suggests that despite the great migration of PN voters to Labour in 2013, the PN still includes a larger segment of floating voters in its midst (30.9%). In contrast, the percentage of floating voters intending to vote PL stands at 20.5%. This suggests that the PN faces a greater challenge in retaining a broader coalition of voters, while Labour relies on a higher propor- tion of loyal voters (77.5%). The percentage of loyal voters in the PN stands at 65.9%. This could also reflect previous historical shifts towards the PN in 1992 when the party won with a 13,000-vote lead, and 2003, which determined Malta's membership of the EU. A demographic breakdown of the survey suggests that floating vot- ers peak in the 36–50 age brack- et (33.1%) and decrease to 27.5% among voters aged 65 and over. The largest share of floating vot- ers is found in the Northern district (40.8%), which includes sprawling urban centres such as Mosta and St Paul's Bay. The second largest share (34.5%) is found in the Labour-lean- ing South East. In contrast the low- est percentage of floaters is found in Gozo (18.8%) and the Labour-lean- ing South Harbour region (22.6%), which includes Cottonera. The survey also shows that par- ty loyalty tends to decrease among more educated voters, with the share of floating voters increasing from between 25% and 26% among voters with a primary or secondary education to between 33% and 35% among those with a higher level of education. 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 65% have always voted for the same party 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 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 Current voters 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ Yes No Voted for the {rst time in 2022 Will vote for the {rst time Never voted although eligible No answer Have you always voted for the same party in the general elections? Party loyalty Yes No No answer Never voted although eligible Will vote for the rst time Voted for the rst time in 2022 64.6 29.9 3.5 1.2 0.6 0.4 June considered most probable month for next election MORE than a quarter of voters be- lieve the general election will be held in June, MaltaToday's survey gauging the national mood shows. The decision when to call a gener- al election is the sole prerogative of the prime minister but the date has been the subject of much specula- tion for months. The survey shows that the most expected date is June 2026 (26.3%), followed by a date closer to the nor- mal expiry of the legislature next year (19.9%). Only 8% think the election will be held sometime this year after June, while just 4.2% expect it in May 2026. Still, most respondents (41.6%) acknowledge that they have no clue when the election will be held. PN voters are more likely to expect a general election in June (32.2%), which may reflect rumours spread by the party media. Only 14.2% of PN voters expect an election next year, while 5.5% anticipate it as ear- ly as May. A further 10.5% expect the election this year after June. Labour voters appear more cau- tious. While 22.8% expect an elec- tion in June, 22.2% believe the gov- ernment will serve its full term and call an election next year as indicat- ed by the prime minister on differ- ent occasions. Only 3.1% of Labour voters expect a May election, while 7.6% expect it later this year. NATION'S ELECTION MOOD Age Gender Region Education Current voters 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ When do you think the next general election will be held? May 2026 June 2026 This year after June In 2027 Don't know 4.2 26.3 8 19.9 41.6 Election timing