The recently published Eurobarometer, for which surveys were taken after the MEP elections, provides a snapshot of people’s thoughts right after the elections took place.
One of the questions asked to respondents who did not vote in the EU Parliament elections, was to select the main reasons (maximum three) behind their choice not to vote, from a pool of 16 options. Malta saw a very low turnout for those elections, around 100,000 registered voters did not cast their vote. The reason people did not vote was pretty much understood, but the responses given in the survey solidify that belief. The majority of the Maltese respondents who didn’t cast their vote, 56%, said that it was due to a lack of trust in politics, or a dissatisfaction with politics generally. The second highest selected answer by those who didn’t vote, with 31% selecting it, was that they are “not interested in politics as such”.
The voters, or rather the non-voters, sent a very clear message to politicians, and this is something that needs to be heeded, a message that should come as a wake up call to politicians locally.
As for those who did vote, they were asked to provide the main reasons they decided to do so. 55% of Maltese respondents selected “this is your duty as a citizen.” Another point one can see is that, when comparing to the 2019 survey taken following the EU Parliamentary elections that year, the number of people responding to this question who selected to “to support the government” went down by 17%, with 16% selecting it in 2024. The percentage who selected “to support the political party or candidate they feel close to” saw a 9% reduction.
There is also something else that is telling through the Eurobarometer survey. Those who voted in the election were asked why they voted for the political party they voted for. The results continue to reveal how society continues to change. In Malta, the two big political parties have always had their die hard supporters. But the number of voters who are not so has been growing, and this is shown in the Eurobarometer. While 38% said that a reason is that they “usually vote for this party”, this is actually 23% less than the amount who gave that same answer following the 2019 EU Parliament Elections.
The highest option selected this time round was that “their proposals on European issues were the closest to your ideas or values” (41%), and “their proposals on national issues were the closest to your ideas or values” (also 41%).
31% also selected that they “were convinced during the electoral campaign (by a debate or an interview). Although this must also be taken in the context that 27% selected “You wanted to avoid the electoral success of another party” and that 38% also selected “you disliked all other parties on the list,” but still the trend is clear.
Asked when they decided to vote for the political party or candidate they voted for, while 55% selected “you have always voted like this”, this is 19% less than the amount who selected this option in 2019. The second highest selected answer was “you decided a few months ago” with 29% selecting it, which is 13% higher than in 2019.
It is becoming more and more evident that the percentage of die hards in the country continues to reduce.