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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 7 OCTOBER 2026 THE ALL-NEW B10 STARTING FROM €20,900* (*2025 GOVERNMENT GRANTS AND SCRAPPAGE SCHEME INCLUDED. TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY). PL voters did not expect Fenech verdict stantially more likely to say they had not followed the case—28.9% compared with 20.9% of men. The proportion saying, they had not expected the verdict was also higher among men, at 44.6%, than among women, at 37%. There was virtually no dif- ference in refusal rates, with 10.5% of women and 10.4% of men declining to answer. 29% of younger respondents did not follow the case The 36–50 age group was the most likely to say it had expect- ed the acquittal, at 21.4%. This was followed by those aged 51–65 at 16.3%, while 14.9% of those aged 16–35 and 12% of those over 65 said they had expected the verdict. The youngest group had the highest proportion saying they had not followed the case, at 29%, while the figure among those aged 36–50 was 19.9%. Respondents over 65 were the least likely to say they had expected the verdict and the most likely age group to answer "don't know", at 9.6%. Regional differences There were also differences between regions. The Southern Harbour, traditionally a strong Labour region, recorded the highest proportion expecting the acquittal of the business ty- coon, at 18.6%, followed by the Western region at 18%, North- ern Harbour at 17.2%, Gozo at 16.5%, Northern at 14.2% and the S o u t h E a s t e r n r e g i o n at 11.3%, the low- est figure among all re- gions. In contrast, the Northern region stood out for the proportion saying they had not expected the verdict, at 50.1%, followed by N o r t h e r n H a r b o u r at 47.4%, S o u t h E a s t e r n at 40.2%, Gozo at 36.8%, West- ern at 34.3% and Southern Harbour at 30.8%. But the survey suggests a divergence in reactions to the verdict between the two La- bour-leaning southern regions. In the South Eastern region, only 11.3% said they had ex- pected the acquittal, while 40.2% said they had not ex- pected it, almost four times as many. By contrast, in the Southern Harbour, 18.6% ex- pected the verdict and 30.8% did not. The difference sug- gests that respondents in the South Eastern region were considerably more likely to say the verdict had surprised them. The South Eastern region also had a relatively high pro- portion who said they had not followed the case, at 29.2%, second only to the Southern Harbour at 30.1%. A further 8.1% said they did not know and 11.2% declined to answer. In all, 48.5% of respondents in the South Eastern region either had not followed the case, did not know or refused to answer. Gozo recorded 16.5% who expected the acquittal, while 36.8% said they had not ex- pected it. However, 21.3% said they had not followed the case, while 9.4% did not know and 16% declined to answer, the highest refusal rate among all regions. Verdict surprised more than it didn't Overall, the survey shows that the acquittal was substantially more likely to have been unex- pected than expected among those who engaged with the question. But the findings also point to a second feature of public re- action—a sizeable proportion either did not follow the case, did not know how to answer or chose not to express a view. The 10.5% refusal rate, in particular, suggests that for some reason a significant mi- nority were reluctant to talk about their expectations of the Fenech verdict. This survey was conducted between 22 September and 2 October 2026. The survey is based on a representative sample of 835 respondents. The sampling approach followed a stratified random design, ensuring proportional representation across key demographic variables such as age, gender, and locality. At a 95% confidence level, the overall survey results carry a margin of error of ±3.4%. 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. You were expecting it You were not expecting it I wasn't following Don't know No reply Age Gender Region Past vote (2026) 60 55 50 45 40 3 5 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ You were expecting it You were expecting it I wasn't following Don't know No reply the Yorgen Fenech verdict This survey was conducted between 22 September and 2 October 2026. The survey is based on a representative sample of 835 respondents. The sampling approach followed a stratified random design, ensuring proportional representation across key demographic variables such as age, gender, and locality. At a 95% confidence level, the overall survey results carry a margin of error of ±3.4%. 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. In the Yorgen Fenech case, were you expecting the not-guilty verdict? You were expecting it You were not expecting it I wasn't following Don't know No reply 16.1 40.8 24.9 7.8 10.5 Age Gender Region Past vote (2026) 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 PL PN Non Voters Small parties You were expecting it You were expecting it I wasn't following Don't know No reply Overall In the Yorgen Fenech case, were you expecting the not-guilty verdict? By political affiliation In the Yorgen Fenech case, were you expecting the not-guilty verdict? By age

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