Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/919364
10 maltatoday SUNDAY 24 DECEMBER 2017 News Christmas specials • Last poll of the year A feel-good year despite the political heat The last MaltaToday survey of 2017 finds most people dubbing the year 'a good one' but money is not the only reason why It is interesting how the statistics for obesity constantly put Malta at the forefront in Europe and yet a majority feel they did enough exercise in 2017. A Europe-wide survey released last April had found that 66.8% of Maltese men and 55.2% of women over 18 were overweight. The figures published by Eurostat, the European statistical agency, covering the year 2014 placed Malta in the top spot for both men and women. A 2015 report by the Today Public Policy Institute had listed Malta as the least physically active country in the world with 71.9% of people qualifying as inactive. Maltese children were also deemed to be the least physically active in the EU, with the hours spent watching television being among the highest in Europe. And yet, despite these gloomy numbers, which are unlikely to have changed much in 2017, a majority of those surveyed by MaltaToday feel that they did enough physical exercise throughout the past 12 months. The self-assessment on whether they personally did enough to keep fit is a split affair with 50.9% feeling they did enough physical exercise and 47.8% saying no. Only 1.3% were unable to say whether they did enough exercise. With the period of drawing up New Year resolutions looming, many undoubtedly would include a commitment on physical fitness and appearance for 2018. How intense the physical exercise will actually be is another matter altogether. Enough physical exercise… but is it enough? Have you done enough exercise in 2017 and will you do more exercise in 2018? Yes in 2017 Yes in 2018 No in 2017 No in 2018 Don't know in 2017 Don't know in 2018 50.9% 70.8% 47.8% 19.6% 1.3% 9.7% KURT SANSONE AN intense year characterised by political contro- versy, an election and a high-profile murder does not appear to have dampened people's spirits. In fact people have, by a very large margin, as- sessed 2017 to be "a good year" for them, accord- ing to a MaltaToday survey. The results of the survey that was carried out ear- lier this month, showed that when asked whether 2017 was a good year for them, 77.3% of people agreed while 9.7% disagreed. Another 13% stood in the middle. But more importantly, the judgement on whether 2017 was a good year did not appear to have been influenced solely by monetary considerations. The survey found that 53.1% judged their finan- cial situation to have improved in 2017 when com- pared to the previous year. Almost a third of respondents (32.5%) felt that their financial situation remained the same with 11.2% saying it had regressed. However, not all those who reported an improved financial situation, described 2017 as a good year for them. In fact, it was 45.5% of those who report- ed a better financial situation who felt they had a good year while 4.8% and 2.8% respectively stood in the middle or felt they had a bad year. For 24.2% of those whose financial situation re- mained the same throughout 2017, they still felt they had a good year. The same can be said of the 5.7% who reported a worsening financial situation but who still felt 2017 was good. It appears that although financial improvement is an indicator of satisfaction, it is not necessarily the over-riding indicator. But in a year dominated by politics, in which charged discussions between friends and family members became the norm, the climate left many uncomfortable with expressing their views. The survey showed that people were equally split (44% each side) between those who felt at ease discussing their political views and those who felt uncomfortable to engage in political discussions. Another 11.7% could not say whether they felt comfortable. Yes 44.3% No 44% Don't know 9.7% In 2017, did you feel comfortable discussing politics with everyone? Yes 53.1% No 11.2% The same 32.5% Don't know 3.2% Was your financial situation in 2017 better than last year's? 77% say 2017 was a good year, but 9.7% said it wasn't and 13% said it was the same as last year 66.4% expect 2018 to be a better year, while only 2.6% said no and 31.2% say it will be just like this year Will 2018 see your financial situation improve? Yes 59.9% No 4.3% The same 13.3% Don't know 22.7% Positive Negative Unchanged 2017 2017 45.5% 2.8% 4.8% 5.7% 2.1% 3.3% 1.9% 0.8% 0.5% 24.2% 3.9% 4.5% What those who said 2017 was a good year had to say about their finances Financially better in 2017 Financially worse in 2017 Don't know Financially unchanged SUNDAY 24 DECEMBER 2017