Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/413175
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2014 15 in March to 7%. Concern on the environment (mostly on development issues) has gone down by four points. On the other hand for the first time 4% expressed unease about a decline in retail trade. 8% of Labour voters concerned by COLA increase Labour voters are more likely to be concerned about traffic and im- migration but are as likely as PN voters to be worried with the pro- posed COLA increase of just 58 cents. This suggests a degree of unease among a segment of Labour vot- ers (8%) on the proposed COLA increase. Significantly immigration remains the top concern of Labour voters (29%) and switchers who voted PN in 2008 and PL in 2013 (31%). This suggests that the government's less hawkish discourse on migration in the past months has not quelled PL voters' anxieties on this issue. The survey shows that concern on migration has gone up by 19 points since June 2013 following the gov- ernment's unfulfilled threat to push migrants back to Libya. Since than the government has adopted a more humane language, emphasising the integration of migrants in the social fabric. But despite a drop in arrivals thanks to the now defunct Mare Nostrum operation, concern on migration, particularly among PL voters, remains very high. Significantly only 9% of PN vot- ers mentioned immigration as one of their two top concerns. On the other hand PN voters are more likely to be worried about energy and jobs (17%), which top PN vot- ers' concerns along with traffic. Concern on energy is highest among switchers, 19% of whom ex- press unease on this issue. Nationalist voters are also more likely to express concern about the environment. While only 3% of PL voters and no switchers expressed concern on this issue, 7% of PN vot- ers expressed unease on this issue. 18-34 year olds more concerned with migration Younger respondents were more likely to express worry about traffic and immigration while older voters were more concerned with jobs and the cost of living. Older voters aged over 55 years were the least concerned with traf- fic and immigration but expressed the greatest concern on the cost of living. On the other hand the 35- to 54- year-old bracket was the most con- cerned with the COLA increase and with the em- ployment situation. Post secondary educated most concerned with immigration The survey shows a sharp con- trast between university graduates and respondents with a post sec- ondary level of education who have not attended university. While only 11% of university graduates are worried about immi- gration, concern on this issue rises to 29% among those with a post- secondary education. Notably, con- cern on immigration among this category is also higher than that among respondents with a second- ary and primary education. Concern on traffic cuts across all educational levels but is highest among those with a post second- ary level of education and lowest among those with a primary level, who are generally older in age. Unease about jobs and the cost of living is higher among those with a secondary and primary level of ed- ucation and concern on the COLA increase peaks among those with a primary level of education and is lowest among graduates. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt MaltaToday Survey Traffic overtakes migration top national concern According to educational level PN voters PL voters Switchers 17.2 17.2 8.6 8.6 8.6 29.2 24.9 8.9 7.9 7.9 31.3 25 12.5 6.3 6.3 3 4 5