Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544987
mt SURVEY maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 MAY 2026 THE ALL-NEW B10 STARTING FROM €20,900* (*2025 GOVERNMENT GRANTS AND SCRAPPAGE SCHEME INCLUDED. TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY). asked you who do you trust most The gap goes from massive in the Southeast, where 58% believe the PL is best placed to deliver on this issue, to a narrower 2.7 points in Gozo and 3.8 points in the North- ern region. In the Western re- gion the PL leads by a statisti- cally insignificant 0.5 points. Labour also enjoys a wide lead among all education- al subgroups including the post-secondary educated where it is trusted by 51.2%. But among tertiary educat- ed voters it is only trusted by 33% compared to 31% who trust the PN. Only 0.4% trust third parties to deliver on the spending power. 3. MANAGING TRAFFIC The survey shows that vot- ers are split when it comes to trusting a party with the traffic issue. While 26.6% trust the PL, 25.3% trust the PN and 2.3% trust the smaller parties. But in an indication of widespread dissat- isfaction with both parties' approaches to the traffic prob- lem nearly 46% were either undecided or did not reply to the question. The parties are neck and neck in all age groups. A geographic break- down shows the PL leading in the North Harbour, the Southeast and the South Harbour, while the PN leads in Gozo, the Northern and Western regions. In Gozo, which is the PN's best result, the party leads the PL by 14 points on this issue. Labour enjoys a marginal lead among all educational sub groups except the ter- tiary educated where the PN is more trusted. It has to be noted that while the PL has issued its traffic management and mass transport plan—presented just before the election campaign and em- braced by the par- ty—the PN has yet to publish its proposals for the sector. So far, the PN has only released proposals linked to Gozo's connectivity to Malta. Traffic is the issue on which the smaller parties feature most prominently. Momen- tum has proposed an AI-driv- en cab-sharing fleet heavily subsidised by the state, while ADPD has proposed more investment in a bus network with a rapid bus system that operates using dedicated lanes and higher road priori- ty. 4. RUNNING THE ECONOMY Labour is the most trust- ed option when respondents were asked which party they trust most with running the country's economy. While 42.4% trust the PL with the economy, 31% trust the PN. This suggests a degree of ap- prehension on the PN's eco- nomic credentials on the eve of national elections despite the party putting forward proposals for new economic niches. Once again, trust in the PL on this fundamental aspect is universal across all age groups. The PN is only marginal- ly more trusted than the PL by the tertiary educated but lags behind in all other edu- cational groups. Among the post-secondary educated the PL is trusted by 47.6% while the PN is trusted by 31.1%. Gozo is the only region where the PN enjoys more trust on this issue than the PL while the two parties are neck and neck in the Western re- gion. Only 0.7% trust third parties on this issue. 5. MANAGING POPULATION GROWTH The PN is marginally the most trusted party when it comes to managing popu- lation growth. While 28.1% trust the PN, 27.7% trust the PL. Only 1% mentioned third parties. But 43.2% of respondents could not mention a par- ty they trust on this issue, a possible indication that many are resigned to accepting this fate. The PN is marginally more trusted on this issue by all age groups except the over 65s where the two parties are neck and neck. Trust in the PN on this issue peaks at 28.9% among 16- to 35-year- olds. But the PL is more trusted on this issue in the Southeast, the South Harbour and the North Harbour regions. In contrast the PN is more trusted in Gozo, the Northern and Western regions. Among current non-voters only 4% trust Labour on this issue while 6% trust the PN. And while secondary ed- ucated voters trust the PL on this issue, the PN enjoys a slight advantage among post-secondary educated vot- ers and a more substantial lead among the tertiary edu- cated. The PN released its pro- posals for a new authority to manage population growth but this came last week and unlikely to have been fully ab- sorbed by the electorate. The results of the survey are un- likely to have been influenced by this proposal. Overall 90 80 70 60 50 40 3 0 20 10 0 PL PN Others Don't know No reply Overall 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 PL PN Others Don't know No reply Population Growth Overall 70 60 50 40 30 Traffic Population growth 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 PL PN Others Don't know No reply Overall 70 60 50 40 3 0 20 10 0 PL PN Others Don't know No reply Traffic This survey was conducted between Thursday 30 April and Wednesday 13 May. The survey is based on a representative sample of 1408. 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 s urvey results carry a margin of error of ±2.6%. 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. Traffic