LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A newly released Eurobarometer survey reveals that young people in Malta are the most optimistic about the future of the European Union, with 92% expressing a positive outlook on the bloc, well above the EU average of 61%.
The survey, which captures the views of young Europeans on EU challenges and priorities, shows that Malta’s youth are not only hopeful about the EU’s future but also highly positive about its impact on their lives.
The survey, which focuses on young people aged 16 to 30, found that nearly half of Maltese youth (48%) are “very optimistic” about the EU’s future, while 44% are “rather optimistic.” This marks the highest percentage of optimism in the EU, with only 15% of young people across the bloc sharing the same sentiment. In stark contrast, 31% of young people in the EU express pessimism about the future of the Union, while only 5% of Maltese youth are “rather pessimistic,” and none are “very pessimistic.”
Maltese young people are also among the most likely to view the EU as having a positive impact on their society. According to the survey, 86% of Maltese youth believe the EU has a positive effect on their community, with 50% seeing it as “very positive.” This is the highest percentage in the EU. In comparison, only 19% of young people in the EU at large feel the Union has a very positive impact.
While optimism is a defining feature of Maltese youth’s view on the EU, the survey also highlights their belief in the tangible benefits the EU brings to their daily lives. A significant number (48%) associate the EU with opportunities like Erasmus+, DiscoverEU, and the European Solidarity Corps, far exceeding the EU-wide average of 30%. In contrast, Maltese youth are less likely to connect the EU with the freedom to travel—27% of them associate it with this aspect, compared to 39% of their EU peers.
As for the EU’s priorities, the survey shows that Maltese youth are most concerned about irregular migration (27%), followed by climate change (25%) and economic issues (23%). In contrast, security and defense is the top priority for EU youth overall (31%), followed by climate change (27%) and public health (26%).
The survey also reveals that while inflation is the greatest concern for young people across the EU (41%), only 26% of Maltese youth share this worry. Instead, climate change (29%) and EU security (27%) are their primary concerns for the future.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
