Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/869387
12 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER 2017 Concern on corruption drops by 22 points MaltaToday Survey JAMES DEBONO THE first post-election survey by MaltaToday on national concerns shows corruption dropping in the list of concerns of the Maltese, as it is overtaken by growing unease on im- migration, crime and over- development. Traffic remains the more serious worry of the Mal- tese as it has been since September 2015. Significantly, although the survey coincided with the summer lull, concern on traffic is now just three points lower than it was in October last year, days af- ter the opening of schools. Moreover concern about parking has reached an all time high of 13%. Respondents were asked to name the two greatest problems facing the coun- try, without being prompt- ed with a list of answers. Unease about corruption remains higher than it ever was before September 2015, when the government was hit by the first serious cor- ruption scandal over gov- ernment land transferred to Mark Gaffarena. Previously corruption did not even feature among the top wor- ries of the Maltese. But the survey suggests political fatigue after a general election which saw the Opposition Nationalist party losing heavily after spearheading a campaign built around corruption al- legations revolving around the offshore companies owned by minister Konrad Mizzi and the PM's right- hand man Keith Schembri. The subject has prompted a number of magisterial in- quiries which are yet to be concluded. The decline in concern on corruption may also re- flect the weakness of the Opposition, which has yet to elect a new leader who can voice concern on good governance issues. It may also reflect a 'new normal' where fewer people see cor- ruption as being a reason for concern. In fact while in March 63% of PN voters voiced concern about corruption, this has dropped to just 16% in this survey. The survey shows that immigration is now the second most important worry of the Maltese, closely followed by unease about crime. Concern on immigration has risen by 14 points over March and on crime by 12 points. The rise in concern on immigration suggests that this is no longer fuelled by boat arrivals (which have stopped) but is now as- sociated by the growing number of foreign workers in the country. In a clear indication of growing inse- curity, concern on crime is now at an all-time high. Other growing wor- ries are those on environ- mental issues. While the generic concern on "the environment" has risen by six points to reach the 10 percent mark, concern on over-development and con- struction has now reached an all time high of eight points. This suggests that 17% of the Maltese list an environ- mental issue as one of their most pressing concerns. Unease about environ- mental issues is particu- larly high among PN vot- ers. Among this category 21% list the environment or over-development as one of their main worries, compared to only 13% of PL voters and 11% of floating voters (respondents who voted for different parties in the past three elections). On the other hand con- cern on immigration and crime is particularly high- er among Labour voters. While only 10% of PN vot- ers list crime as one of their two main concerns, this rises to 27% among PL vot- ers. And while 18% of PN voters are worried about immigration, this rises to 26% among PL voters. On the other hand PN voters are the most likely to be concerned with the cost of living (17%) and with low income (5%). Unease about traffic is highest among floating voters (37%). The survey also offers an insight on the concern of supporters for the four con- tenders for the PN leader- ship. As expected concern on immigration and crime is highest among voters for Frank Portelli. On the other hand, concern on the en- vironment and over-devel- opment is highest among those who prefer Chris Said. Compared to those who prefer Said, supporters of Adrian Delia and Alex Perici Calascione are more concerned with migration and less concerned with corruption. Methodology 901 respondents were randomly chosen from telephone directories. 404 accepted to be interviewed. The survey was time barred and was held between Monday 21 and Thursday 24 August. The survey has a margin of error of +/-4.9 percentage points. The results of the survey were weighed to reflect the age and gender balance of the population based on the 2011 census of the popula- tion. Increase in concern over immigration, crime and over-development as political fatigue sets in and corruption drops in list of concerns Now* PN voters in 2013 PL voters in 2013 Switchers' Traffic 33.8% (2.1) 34.5% 32.3% 37% Immigration 21.3% (14.2) 18.1% 25.9% 19.6% Crime 18.4% (11.9) 10.3% 26.6% 15.2% Parking 13% (2.4) 8.6% 15.2% 8.7% Cost of Living 10% (0.2) 17.2% 8.9% 4.3% Environment 9.3 %(5.8) 12.1% 7% 4.4% Over-development 8.3% (4.2) 8.6% 6.3% 6.5% Corruption 8.3% (-21.8) 16.4% 1.9% 10.9% Roads 6.4% (3.8) 2.6% 6.3% 4.3% Low incomes 3.7% (-2.5) 5.2% 3.8% 8.7% Buses 2% (-1.1) 1.7% 2% 2.2% Loss of values 1.5% (1.5) 1.7% 0 0 Rents 1.5% (1.5) 1.7% 0.6% 0 Health 1.2% (0.7) 2.6% 0 2.2% Jobs 0.5% (-0.9) 1.7% 0 0 * Numbers in brackets are percentage point changes since March 2017 MAJOR CONCERNS IN AUGUST 2017 Adrian Delia Alex Perici Calascione Frank Portellli Chris Said Traffic 30.6% 35.7% 42.1% 36.8% Immigration 24.5% 13.3% 26.3% 17.1% Crime 14.3% 6.7% 21.1% 13.2% Parking 12.2% 6.7% 0 11.8% Cost of Living 16.3% 6.7% 0 15.8% Environment 6.1% 6.7% 5.2% 9.2% Over-development 8.2% 6.7% 5.2% 14.5% Corruption 14.3% 20.1% 10.5% 19.6% MAJOR CONCERNS ACCORDING T0 PREFERENCE FOR PN LEADER A placard at an anti- corruption protest called by the Nationalist Party soon after the revelations of the Panama Papers in March 2016. The placard reads: 'Who does not fight corruption, is corrupt' PHOTO: RAY ATTARD