Public interest in politics has plummeted to its lowest point in five years, with just 30.8% of Maltese saying that politics is important in their lives, down from 48.3% in 2021.
At the same time, a record 33.5% now say politics means nothing to them, nearly tripling from 12.9% in 2021.
The 2025 State of the Nation survey also showed that only 27% of people say they form their views based on the positions of their preferred political party, while 41.6% explicitly reject party influence altogether.
Young people aged 16 to 25 years old emerged as the most politically disengaged, with just 19.8% rating politics as highly important.
The annual State of the Nation report for this year was presented by statistician Vincent Marmarà, conducted in May 2025, and captured the views of 1,064 Maltese and Gozitan citizens aged 16 and over. The report reflects Malta's demographics by age, gender, and region, with a margin of error of +/- 3%.
The annual survey explores what defines the identity of the Maltese and Gozitan people, asking on views on religion, employment, education, rights, politics, finances, and media.
Following a post-pandemic trend where more Maltese were living "day by day," 2025 marks a return to life planning, as a majority of respondents (50.8%) said they actively plan their lives, reversing a three-year decline from 2021 to 2024 when long-term planning dropped from 71.0% to 44.9%.
Those with children under 16 were significantly more likely to plan (64.9%) compared to those without (44.3%). Those in higher tax brackets and with more education also reported higher levels of planning.
Satisfaction with life reached its highest level since study's inception
Happiness, personal success and satisfaction with life were reported at all-time highs since the study's inception, with 72.1% saying that they are happy in 2025, up from 65.5% in 2024 and 66.6% in 2023.
Gozitans reported the highest satisfaction rate at 82.8%, while residents in the Northern Harbour area were lowest (62.2%).
Meanwhile, 73.9% of people said they feel they have succeeded in life, compared to just 61.1% in 2021.
Among high-income earners, 90.4% said they feel successful, versus just 65.2% in the lowest income bracket.
Future expectations and standard of living
Asked whether they believe they will be living a better life in a year's time, 47.0% answered "yes" in 2025, continuing a three-year rise from 39.1% in 2023.
Positivity was highest among the 16-25 age group (79.1%) and lowest among those aged 66+ (29.0%).
In terms of standard of living, 75.7% said they live at a "medium" standard, while 16.3% considered themselves above average, with parents of young children more likely to fall in this group (27.7% of those who do not have children under 16 vs 12.7% of those who do).
On financial stability, 47.6% reported no change in their situation from last year, 34.8% said it improved, while 17.6% said it worsened.
Most trust family, rarely seek professional help
When faced with personal problems, 61.6% of respondents said that they always turn to family they live with, making it the most common source of support.
Only 4.3% said they always consult mental health professionals, although this number is slowly rising from 0% in 2021. Colleagues remained the least trusted source, with 57.7% never turning to them.
On important life choices, 76.4% of respondents said that they decide with family members, while 48.4% said that they decide on their own. Decisions made with friends (7.9%), colleagues (1.4%), or professionals (2.6%) were far less common, the survey reported.
Most people identified marriage, children, career and education as the most critical decisions of their lives.
Work income more important than appreciation on the job
Asked to rank job-related values from most to least important, income ranked the highest as most important, with an average rank of 2.27. Job satisfaction followed, ranking an average 2.39, followed by job security (3.51), work flexibility (3.51) and appreciation on the job (3.52).
These figures remained in line with previous years, with financial security remaining more important over emotional rewards at the workplace, the survey showed.
Faith still strong, but less so among youths
Belief in God among the Maltese and Gozitan remained high, as 90.9% said that they believed in God. However, 19.8% of 16 to 25-year-olds said that they do not believe in God, the highest of any age group.
While 57.6% of respondents said that religion is very important in their lives, younger and more educated respondents were less likely to share that view.
The survey showed that when asked how much religion influences their moral decisions, 44.8% said "a lot," 39.3% said "somewhat, and 12.9% said "not at all."
Among those over 66 years of age, 86.8% said religion is very important, while for those among 16 to 25, the figure dropped to just 28.9%, the survey showed.
Religion also plays a smaller role in moral decision-making among youth and the highly educated. While 44.8% overall said they consider religion a lot when deciding what is right or wrong, that number dropped significantly among those with a university education.
National identity: fewer feel European
Until 2023, there had been an increase in those who said they felt they belonged most to Europe (11.2% in 2021, 20.6% in 2022, 25.3% in 2023).
However, there was a decline in 2025 to 16.3% of those who feel European. This may be due to certain decisions taken by the European Union regarding various issues, including the ongoing wars, the survey said.
The majority of survey respondents said they feel they belong most to all Maltese people (48.6%). More than thirty-five percent of people feel they belong primarily to the town or village where they live (35.1%).
Gozitans are the least likely to feel part of Europe (6.4%). Despite this, 73% of respondents said they would not have preferred to be born and raised in another country. Younger respondents (16-25) were more open to the idea (26.7%), but still a minority.
Party loyalty
Just 27.0% said that they let their party's position influence their opinions on different topics, while 41.6% said that they do not. 64.2% said that they always vote for the same party, however, 42.0% said that they might switch parties in the next election, with openness highest among younger voters (64.8%).
Just under three-quarters of those who participated in this survey said that they intend to vote in the next General Election (74.8%). Only 8.2% of people said they will not vote, while 17.0% are still undecided.
Those aged 66 and over are the most likely to say they will vote in the next General Election (85.5%).
More than half of respondents disagreed with the phrase "The two major parties are the same" (52.6%), meaning the majority of people distinguish between the two main parties, the survey showed. 22.9% said that they "somewhat agree," while 18.7% fully agreed.
Just over 28.2% of people said they have at some point approached a politician because they needed something. Gozitans are the most likely to have done so (38.8%).
Justice, freedom, equality, rank above solidarity
When asked to rank key values, "justice" consistently came out on top, followed by "freedom," "equality," and lastly "solidarity." These rankings have remained unchanged for five years, the survey showed.
In 2025, justice ranked at 1.87 as the most important value, while solidarity ranked 3.03, as the least important value among the four.
Trust in fellow Maltese is low
Only 12.6% of respondents said that they fully trust their fellow Maltese citizen. When asked how much they trust other Maltese citizens, respondents gave an average rating of just 2.86 out of 5, down from 3.31 in 2021.
Meanwhile, traditional Maltese food (2.68), traditional village feasts (2.52) and Good Friday processions (2.52) were rated as the most important aspects of Maltese culture, while Carnival (3.75) and local art or music (3.53) ranked lower.
Maltese remains the dominant primary language for 74.5% of people, though 21.1% now claim both Maltese and English as their main languages.
Among youth aged 16 to 25, 37.2% consider both languages as equally important.
Growing multicultural anxiety
Although a majority (58%) support bringing in foreign workers for jobs Maltese people refuse to do, the average comfort level with cultural mixing remains moderate at 2.75 out of 5. This suggests ongoing tension or ambivalence about multiculturalism, the survey reported.
30.8% do not agree with bringing in foreigners to work in the country.
Most people also still prefer face-to-face conversations with both family and friends (73% and 41.3%). However, social media and texting are increasingly common among younger generations, particularly those under 45.
Only 24.4% of people call their friends, and this year's survey also showed an 8.3% decrease of those who said they communicate with their friends face-to-face.
65.5% of respondents this year said that they discuss current events in the country with others face-to-face, however, in-person communication has steadily declined from previous years,(73.3% in 2024, 76.8% in 2023) as people are feeling more comfortable communicating through the use of technology.
Social media dominated news access
Facebook remains the most used social media platform (78.4%), followed by Instagram (45.4%) and TikTok (31.2%).
While television is still the most common way people consume news (47.5%), online news portals and Facebook links are gaining ground, especially among those under 35.
The higher the age bracket, the more popular Facebook, radio and television is, while Tiktok and Instagram is more popular among the lower age brackets.
That said, only 21.8% believe that the Maltese media covers issues that concern them. The majority, 51.7%, gave a "so-so" response, and 17% felt that local media does not represent their concerns at all.
When compared to previous years' results, however, the survey shows that the Maltese media has increased in popularity. 29.1% of those respondents under 25 years of age said that the Maltese media reports and discusses many subjects concerning them (29.1%).
The absolute majority of Maltese (84%) believe that events which happen in other countries are affecting the Maltese much more than the events which occurred 10 years ago, with the results being similar over the past few years.
Education, respect and values
The majority of people said that respect and the values a person upholds are mostly taught by the family (60.9%). While 32.9% said these are taught both by the family and the school, only 6.2% said that values are taught only by the school.
Interestingly, the survey showed that 44.8% of those with children under the age of 16 said that respect and values are taught equally by both the family and the school.
This contrasts significantly with those without children under 16, where only 29% gave the same answer, the survey showed.
People in the highest income bracket were the most likely to say that respect and values are taught equally by both the family and the school (56.8%).
Education from the family was considered the most important, ranking at 1.48, followed by education from school (2.18), while education from social media was ranked the least important (4.11). This ranking was agreed upon across almost all age groups.
An overwhelming majority of people are in favour of exams and homework, with 86.3% supporting exams and 77.6% supporting homework.
Meanwhile, 74.1% said they do not agree that children should have more holidays, and 83.5% said they do not agree that children should spend more time at school.
Country anchored by tradition, but gently shifting in mindset
The conclusions of the State of the Nation 2025 report said that the results revealed a country anchored by tradition but gently shifting in mindset.
While personal satisfaction, family cohesion, and religious belief remain pillars of Maltese identity, the survey highlights a slow detachment from political institutions, a cautious approach to cultural diversity, and a generational divide on key issues.
Professor Marmara said that the discussion can now start following the State of the Nation survey, as the Maltese have voiced their views.
He pointed out that while there are important elements of Maltese culture, the population is less open to different cultures.
This is in a country with a low birth rate, making it heavily dependent on foreign workers, and despite this, 31% still disagree with bringing in foreigners to do jobs that Maltese do not want to do, Marmara said.
"It is a population that believes in God but does not give religion the same level of importance. Around 20% of those aged 16 to 25 said they do not believe in God. The younger a person is, the less religion and politics influence their decisions about what is right and wrong. Interest and importance in politics among the public has continued to decline," Marmara said.
He said that the survey also observed clear generational differences, where young people and older people have different perspectives on various topics and themes, such as education, social media, and technology.
Nearly 80% of those aged 16 to 25 use Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram simultaneously, often at the same time, he said.
He continued that although people still trust their families the most, one must ask: Is the intense use of social media affecting the quality of time one spends with family?
"The State of the Nation research clearly shows that people acknowledge the most important education comes from the family, and the least from social media. But is there an imbalance between what people believe and what they do? Social media is impacting the quality of time that could otherwise bear fruit in our lives, affecting our critical thinking and our ability to focus," Marmara said, adding that this is a concern worth raising.
He also questioned whether artificial intelligence is being used to avoid thinking, to save time that ends up being spent on social media instead, through short, similar videos one after the other.
"A perfect recipe for shortened attention spans, reduced critical thinking, and a public less capable of focusing. Do we still have the patience to focus? The brain is being reprogrammed to think only in short bursts, with less patience and reflection," Marmara said.
He said that for many people, social media is creating serious challenges that negatively impact their educational development, making it much harder to become better thinkers.
"Are we learning to think with real quality? Are we pausing to try solving problems ourselves before asking AI or ChatGPT? Who is doing the thinking for us?" Marmara questioned.
He said that in moments of conflict, it is the people who must think deeply to resolve them, not AI.
Marmara said that the challenges the population faced with previous technologies are different from those of today, and therefore, AI must be taught as a tool, one that helps people be more efficient so that we have more time to think and produce better-quality work.
"The biggest concern is that for many people, the use of artificial intelligence may become just another way to save time, only to waste it on distractions and alienation. That is why we must also explore whether social media should be taught as a tool from a certain age in our education system," Marmara said.