Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/437144
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 21 DECEMBER 2014 22 18-34 35-54 55+ By ages MaltaToday Survey Who is Labour's most trusted nanny? Do you attend Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve? 75.6% 25.3% Yes No JAM ES DEBONO KONRAD Mizzi, the minister responsible for energy and health, is officially the most trusted nanny among the current crop of minis- ters, a MaltaToday survey reveals. Faced with the dire prospect of leaving their child with a govern- ment minister (in some calami- tous scenario in which all babysit- ters decide to strike and refuse to take charge of any children), only 54% of respondents could mention a minister with whom they would trust their child. Moreover 35% would not trust any cabinet member as a nanny for their children or nephews, with some insisting that they would prefer leaving their children alone than under the care of a minister. And surprisingly, Mizzi manages to surpass the only female cabinet member: Helena Dalli. "He is soft and polite", a female respondent casually remarked af- ter making her choice. Another respondent added that he hoped Mizzi "sticks to pre-es- tablished timeframes" when feed- ing the child. Among those who chose Helena Dalli, many justified their choice by referring to Dalli "as the only woman" among Muscat's minis- ters. Education Minister Joseph Mus- cat trailed closely in third place, with many saying that as Minister for Education he would make an ideal choice. "He has a sense of humour and is very good looking", a woman re- spondent said. Bartolo was followed by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici and by Environment Minister Leo Brin- cat. Finance Minister Edward Sci- cluna and Gozo Minister Anton Refalo emerge as the least popular nannies, being chosen by 0.3% re- spectively which means that they were mentioned by one respond- ent each. Curiously, nearly 4% of respond- ents chose Manuel Mallia, who was still minister when the survey was conducted. In a similar survey held in 2010 George Pullicino, then the min- ister responsible for resources and rural affairs, was chosen as the most trusted nanny among Gonzi's cabinet, by 11% of re- spondents, followed by then Edu- cation Minister Dolores Cristina. Methodology The survey was conducted be- tween 3 and 9 December. 541 respondents were contacted by telephone. 400 accepted to be interviewed. The results were weighed to reflect the age and sex balance in the general population. The survey has a margin of error of +/-4.9%. RESPONDENTS who attend midnight mass are happier dur- ing the Christmas period than those who do not participate in this religious ritual, whose high- light is the sermon delivered by a child. Respondents who have more money to spend than last year al- so tend to be happier than others but at a lower rate than among those who attend mass. The survey shows that overall while 63% feel happier at Christ- mas, 13% feel sadder and 24% feel the same as any other day. But among the 25% of respond- ents who attend midnight mass, 82% feel happier during the Christmas period and only 7% feel sad. Only 55% of those who do not attend midnight mass feel Happy at Christmas? Those who go to 12.7% Konrad Mizzi 10.3% Helena Dalli 8.7% Evarist Bartolo 6% Owen Bonnici 4% Leo Brincat 34.7% Don't trust any minister to be their babysitter Other ministers Manuel Mallia 3.7% George Vella 3.3% Joe Mizzi 1.7% Chris Cardona 1.3% Louis Grech 0.7% Edward Zammit Lewis 0.7% Michael Farrugia 0.7% Edward Scicluna 0.3% 77.2 79.8 64.9 22.8 20.2 35.1