A new Eurobarometer survey shows that Maltese citizens view growing public distrust toward democratic institutions, foreign information manipulation, and AI-driven political content as the most serious challenges facing democracy in the European Union.

The survey was conducted in May 2025 with 26,410 face-to-face interviews among the 27 EU member states, with a total of 501 interviews conducted in Malta.

Respondents were asked what are the most important elements for free and fair elections, to which 53% of both Maltese and EU respondents said that voters must have access to accurate and accessible information to make informed choices on the electoral process.

43% (EU) and 39% (Maltese) voted for the need for equitable coverage of political parties and candidates, while 42% of Maltese said that the electoral process, including voter rolls, counting and transmission of results, must be protected against threats like cyberattacks.

Another 42% of Maltese emphasised the importance of protecting candidates and elected representatives from hate speech, violence, threats and intimidation, and 44% of Maltese said election debates and campaigns must be free from disinformation and manipulation. Respondents were able to give up to three answers.

In response to another question, 44% of Maltese respondents marked foreign information manipulation, interference and disinformation, including in the context of elections, as the most serious challenge to democracy in the EU.

Meanwhile, 40% of respondents in Malta also identified growing public distrust toward democratic institutions and processes as one of the EU's most significant democratic threats, this being the highest concern recorded among 49% of European respondents.

Malta also stood out for its heightened concern about the role of technology in shaping political content, as 37% of respondents said that a lack of transparency around political content promoted through new technologies such as artificial intelligence represents one of the EU's most serious democratic challenges.

Worries about digital destabilisation also emerged, with 23% of Maltese respondents citing cyberattacks or attempts to disrupt elections as a democratic concern.

The same proportion, 23%, believe democracy is weakened by the limited opportunities for citizens to participate in democratic debates and policymaking, and an additional 23% highlighted the limited space for civil society organisations to take part in shaping policy as a serious issue. Here respondents were also able to give a maximum of three answers.

When asked what respondents consider essential to ensure the fairness of electoral campaigns carried out online, Maltese respondents consistently prioritised information integrity and equal democratic access.

The largest proportion, 63%, said it was very important for online platforms to avoid the possible risks of manipulation of their services, for example via fake accounts or bots generated by AI aiming to disturb democracy. 48% of EU respondents said that this was very important.

61% of Maltese respondents deemed it very important that the origin and source of political messages is transparent, for example, paid political advertising, involvement of influences in political campaigns. 46% of EU respondents said this was very important, and 39% deemed it fairly important.

Additionally, 57% of Maltese respondents said that online platforms being transparent about how their services could be used to support political parties, candidates and campaign organisations is very important, and the same percentage also said the same for equal opportunities being provided to political parties and candidates to access online services to compete for voters' attention.

51% of Maltese also stressed that political opinion polls must be transparent, including methodology and who commissioned them, the survey showed.

Respondents were also asked about the state of media freedom, disinformation and foreign interference, about their satisfaction on the state of media freedom, independence and pluralism in the EU.

58% of Maltese said that they were fairly satisfied, as compared to the 50% of EU27 respondents. 26% of Maltese said they were not very satisfied, while 5% said they were very satisfied. However, another 5% said that they were not at all satisfied with the state of media freedom in the EU.

Asked how often respondents think that they were being exposed to disinformation or other forms of information manipulation, 28% of EU respondents thought that they were being exposed to disinformation every day or almost every day, with 23% of Maltese sharing the same thoughts.

24% of EU respondents and 33% of Maltese respondents think they are being exposed to disinformation at least once a week, with 22% of Maltese responding with one to three times a month, 13% of EU respondents.

Only 10% of Maltese respondents and 11% of EU respondents said that they never thought that they were being personally exposed to disinformation or other forms of information manipulation.

Asked what actions or resources did respondents believe would best enhance citizens' skills to effectively tackle disinformation and information manipulation, 55% of Maltese respondents cited the education system and other programmes to equip people with critical thinking, media and digital literacy. 44% of EU respondents cited the education system as the best course of action.

44% of Maltese (40% of EU27 respondents) also cited public awareness campaigns to help citizens identify disinformation and information manipulation, followed by 41% of both Maltese and EU respondents citing fact-checking services provided by independent and trustworthy organisations.

37% and 35% of Maltese and EU respondents respectively, cited tools and technologies for verifying the origin and credibility of sources, including online, as the best course of action.

The survey also asked to what extent did citizens believe the EU is equipped to handle disinformation and foreign interference in EU politics.

56% of Maltese said they tended to agree that the EU is sufficiently equipped to tackle disinformation, with 41% of EU respondents also tending to agree with that statement.

Only 10% of Maltese and 11% of EU respondents respectively said they totally agreed with the statement, and 19% of Maltese said they tend to disagree, and 3% said they totally disagreed.

The survey showed that 29% of EU respondents tended to disagree with the statement that the EU is sufficiently equipped to tackle disinformation, with 9% totally disagreeing.

53% of Maltese respondents said they tended to agree that the EU is sufficiently equipped to tackle foreign interference, with 43% tending to also agree. 12% of both Maltese and EU respondents said they totally agreed.

27% (EU) and 19% (Maltese) respondents said that they tended to disagree with that statement, with 8% (EU) and 4% (Maltese) totally disagreeing, the Eurobarometer showed.

Regarding national authorities: 43% tended to agree that Maltese authorities can handle foreign interference, as well as disinformation effectively. 13% said they totally agree.

Meanwhile, 32% of Maltese tended to disagree that national authorities can handle both foreign interference and disinformation effectively. Only 5% and 7% totally disagreed that Malta's national authorities can handle foreign interference and disinformation effectively.

A notable proportion across all questions replied that they did not know, ranging from 7% to 12% in both Maltese and EU respondents.

On civil society involvement, the results reveal both low participation rates and strong expectations for watchdog roles.

A total of 65% of Maltese respondents said they have not been directly involved in the work of a civil society organisation, with 78% of EU respondents saying the same.

16% of Maltese said they have participated as volunteers, (9% of EU respondents), 11% as donors, 12% as members or employees, and 5% as beneficiaries.

Despite the limited participation, Maltese respondents identified several civil society roles as particularly significant for the country: exposing corruption was selected by 48% of Maltese, delivering services such as education or healthcare by 43%, defending human rights by 34%, and monitoring government actions by another 41%.

Raising awareness and citizen engagement was considered significant by 19% of Maltese, community building by 18%, and advocacy and policy influence by 16%, the survey showed.

Civil society organisations in Malta are also seen as facing substantial obstacles, as 48% of Maltese respondents identified lack of funding as the most significant challenge. 41% of EU respondents identified this as a pressing challenge.

40% pointed to verbal or physical threats and attacks, including online harassment targeting activists, employees or volunteers, as a most significant difficulties faced by civil society organisations in Malta.

39% cited excessive administrative barriers. and another 39% highlighted abusive legal actions or SLAPP suits aimed at silencing public participation.

36% mentioned unjustified restrictions on civil society work, including limited access to information or barriers to freedom of association.