85% of people say that the Covid-19 vouchers helped them and the economy as a whole, a survey conducted by statistician Vincent Marmara set to be presented today shows.

The survey will be presented during a business breakfast entitled ‘Using vouchers to regenerate the economy’. The business breakfast will be held by the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses and the Malta Investment Management Company Limited today. The Malta Independent is the official media partner for this event.

The Covid-19 vouchers were issued in July, and were one of the more popular economic measures introduced by the government to try and limit the economic impact of pandemic on the islands. Residents in Malta and Gozo aged 16+ were entitled to €100 worth of vouchers, €80 of which were able to be spent at restaurants or accommodation, while the other €20 were able to be spent at retail outlets that had been closed down in March due to the pandemic, such as nail and hair salons and clothes shops.

Since then, the government has seen calls to reissue the vouchers.

The survey took a sample of Malta’s population across all age groups, different work status and regional districts in Malta, in order to compile the data.

Respondents were asked whether they agree that the voucher scheme should be reissued, to which a staggering 96% agreed. This percentage saw agreement from people across the board.

Respondents were also asked whether they feel the vouchers helped them and the economy as a whole, to which 85% said they did. In this respect, there was also agreement by respondents across the board.

Another question put to the respondents was as to when they prefer that the vouchers be reissued.

It is here that the numbers began to diverge. The majority (54%) said that they should be reissued during the Christmas period. The holidays are a time when families tend to spend quite a bit of money on gifts as well as food and eating out.

17% of respondents said that the vouchers should be reissued at any time. This option was most preferred among those aged 66 and over who made up 24% of those who chose this option.

A further 9% said that they prefer the vouchers to be reissued in winter 2021. This option was popular among the 16-25 age group, making up 17% of such answers.

6% want the vouchers to be reissued when the Covid-19 pandemic is under control. The largest age group who support this option (10%) are aged between 26 and 35. This particular statistic indicates that there are those in society who want to see the Covid-19 vouchers keep being issued even after the pandemic ends.

4% chose summer 2021, and the majority of people who chose this option were aged 66+.

The remaining 10% voted for a number of other options.

The full survey details will be presented in today’s business breakfast. It will start at 9am and will be live streamed on The Malta Independent’s website – www.independent.com.mt, and on its Facebook page.