The surveys were carried out between 20 February and 17 March this year and include citizens from all European Union countries over 15 years of age.

The report also suggests that unemployment is the main concern among Maltese citizens, identified by 57 per cent of the respondents. This is 10 per cent more than the EU-25 average, but less than the new member states’ (NMS-10) average at 61 per cent. The two next main concerns are the economic situation and inflation, identified by 42 per cent and 24 per cent of respondents respectively.

Interestingly, only two per cent of those interviewed in Malta considered immigration to be a major concern which puts Malta on a par with the NMS-10 average. This is substantially lower than the EU-25 average, with 13 per cent identifying it as a major concern, ranking it sixth in the list of problems that most concern EU citizens.

The survey asked about the general short-term expectations on a number of issues such as life in general, the economic situation, household financial situation and the general and personal employment situation. Despite the substantial pessimism regarding the general employment situation, only nine per cent claimed that they foresaw a worsening of their own employment.

The pattern is repeated with the response on the general economic situation, where 39 per cent thought the general economy will worsen over the period and 16 per cent said it will remain the same. However when asked about the financial situation of their own household, only 24 per cent predicted a downturn, while the number of those who thought things will remain the same rose to 46 per cent.

The grim view regarding general employment is shared by our counterparts both in the NMS-10 and the entire EU-25, with both having an average 48 per cent of their respective respondents forecasting a worsening of the general employment situation over the next 12 months. An improvement in the general economic situation is envisaged by 29 per cent, while 15 per cent said they did not know.

There is a considerable difference between the perception of the Maltese with regard to the worsening of their own employment at nine per cent and the NMS-10 average of 27 per cent and EU-25 average of 30 per cent.

In Malta, 28 per cent think that the employment situation here will improve, 15 per cent say it will stay the same and 16 per cent said they did not know. As for the personal employment situation, 16 per cent said it will remain the same, eight per cent said it will improve and 66 per cent said they did not know.

The EU-25 average vis a vis the general worsening of the economic situation is higher than the local average at 44 per cent, with 32 per cent believing it will stay the same and only 17 per cent perceiving an improvement.

Among the NMS-10, the negative prediction is even worse, at 52 per cent, with 24 per cent saying it will stay the same, 16 per cent predicting an improvement and 9 per cent saying they do not know.

Those who seem to be most ambivalent about their future prospects is the 40-59 years age group, with both the 15-24 and 25-39 segments, as well as the 60 plus, foreseeing an improvement in their lives over the next 12 months.

The executive summary of the report points out that the general trend shows the percentage of Maltese who believe that their lives will remain the same has fallen since winter 2000. The greatest fall in percentage was between autumn 2003 and spring 2004, when EU accession started becoming more of a reality.

Life expectation for the medium term (next five years) seems to be positive – possibly an indication of a “pragmatic belief that life will be hard, soon after accession, but will become more stable eventually”, the report said.

Those in the 25-39 age bracket, seem to be most concerned about the financial situation of their household, followed by the 40-59 age bracket.

The survey also asked respondents about the trust they place in the country’s institution, with 87 per cent of the local sample saying that they trust charitable and voluntary organisations the most. Seven per cent said they tend not to trust them and six per cent stated that they did not know.

The runners up are religious institutions with 74 per cent, the army 73 per cent and the police force with 70 per cent.

The government has the trust of 49 per cent of the respondents, while 39 per cent said they did not trust it and 13 per cent that they did not know. Fifty per cent of the Maltese respondents stated they trusted the EU, while 30 per cent said they tended not to trust it and 19 per cent that they do not know. The NMS-10 and EU-25 average trust rating for the EU stands at 40 and 41 per cent respectively, while the average mistrust for the EU is 37 per cent and 41 per cent respectively for the NMS-10 and EU-25.

Trust in government has increased since 2001 from 43 per cent in 2001 to 49 per cent in spring 2004, rising in 2003 to 57 per cent, coinciding with the referendum period. The NMS-10 average trust in government stood at 17 per cent while 74 per cent said they tend not to trust it. The EU-25 average trust for government stands at 28 per cent while 63 per cent reported that they do not trust the government.

Trust for political parties among Maltese respondents stood at 33 per cent, still high when compared to the EU-25 average of 14 per cent. Seventy-seven per cent of the EU-25 said they tended not to trust political parties compared to the 46 per cent Maltese average.

The average trust for political parties among the new member states stands and a meagre seven per cent, with 82 per cent saying they tend not to trust them.

With regard to knowledge about the EU, the Maltese seem to fare well when compared to both the EU-25 and the NMS-10.

Moreover, on a ten point scale the respondents showed a moderate rate of perceived knowledge about the EU with the lower

levels of perceived knowledge present among those who think that EU membership is a bad thing. The respondents’ perception of their own knowledge is quite conservative compared to the actual level of knowledge.

Support for EU membership has grown steadily since 1999, when it stood at 22 per cent, and reached a peak of 55 per cent during the autumn of 2003 before settling at 50 per cent in the spring of 2004.

The local survey was carried out by MISCO international for the Eurobarometer and includes a sample of 500 Maltese citizens chosen scientifically from the entire population and interviewed face-to-face in their homes.