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MALTA has emerged as one of the European Union's most economically optimistic coun- tries, according to the 2026 Flash Eurobarometer survey. At a time when nearly half of Europeans (49%) describe their national economic situation negatively, 76% of Maltese re- spondents say Malta's econo- my is in a good state. Only Luxembourg ranks higher, with 85% of its citizens expressing confidence in their national economy. At the oth- er end of the scale, Greece and Latvia are the EU's most pessi- mistic countries, with just 13% of respondents in each country viewing their economies fa- vourably. Lowest levels of financial strain in the EU The findings suggest Malta has remained remarkably resil- ient despite widespread Euro- pean concerns over the rising cost of living. Just 10% of Maltese respond- ents reported difficulties meet- ing everyday expenses such as housing, food and transport— the lowest rate recorded across the EU. This compares with an EU average of 32%, while Greece (46%), Ireland (40%) and Portugal (36%) registered the highest levels of financial strain. Housing affordability, a grow- ing source of anxiety across Eu- rope, also appears to weigh less heavily on Maltese households. While 45% of Portuguese re- spondents and 42% of Irish respondents fear they could struggle to meet rent or mort- gage payments over the coming year, Malta ranks among the least anxious member states. Financial security extends be- yond essential spending. Only 20% of Maltese households said they struggle to afford leisure activities, while just 18% re- ported difficulties setting aside money for emergencies, plac- ing Malta among the least fi- nancially vulnerable countries in the Union. Malta leads Europe in optimism for the next generation Maltese respondents were also the most hopeful about the future prospects of today's children. While 45% of Europeans ex- pect the next generation to enjoy a lower standard of liv- ing than their parents, Malta recorded the highest level of intergenerational optimism in the EU. Seven out of ten respondents (70%) believe to- day's children will enjoy a high- er standard of living than pre- vious generations. France emerged as the most pessimistic country on this measure, with 56% expecting children to be worse off than their parents. Strong faith in Malta and Europe Confidence in Malta's future also extends to perceptions of competitiveness. Around 84% of Maltese re- spondents expressed confi- dence in Malta's ability to com- pete in the global economy. At the same time, 82% said they were confident in the EU econ- omy's capacity to remain glob- ally competitive—the highest level of trust in the Union. Support for the European project was particularly pro- nounced. An overwhelming 94% of Maltese respondents re- garded EU membership as a net economic benefit, the highest proportion among all 27 mem- ber states. Similarly, Malta topped the rankings for support for clos- er economic cooperation, with 89% agreeing that stronger col- laboration between EU coun- tries would improve national economic performance. The Maltese also registered the highest average support (85%) for a range of compet- itiveness measures, including investment in research and de- velopment and support for arti- ficial intelligence technologies. Yet the survey also highlighted areas of concern. Malta record- ed the highest share of respond- ents—44%—who believe the EU is doing too little to strengthen Europe's defence industry. Despite the prevailing opti- mism, unemployment remains a notable worry. Malta ranked third highest in the EU for con- cern about joblessness, with 33% citing unemployment as a major issue, significantly above the EU average of 24%. How the survey was conducted The findings are drawn from Flash Eurobarometer FL015EP, commissioned by the European Parliament and conducted by the research firm Demoscopy. Fieldwork took place be- tween 24 March and 1 April 2026 and surveyed represent- ative samples of residents aged 15 and over in all 27 EU mem- ber states. The study used Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI), drawing respond- ents from pre-recruited online panels. In Malta, 501 inter- views were completed. Results were weighted ac- cording to gender, age, ed- ucation level and region of residence to ensure they ac- curately reflected the popula- tion. For a sample of around 500 respondents, the survey's margin of error does not ex- ceed ±4.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. 6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 JUNE 2026 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Malta is EU's second most optimistic country on the economy Flash Eurobarometer findings paint Malta as an outlier in an increasingly anxious Europe, with residents reporting high confidence in the economy, low levels of financial stress and strong faith in the countries and EU future