Maltese trust police, media less than EU average

Fifty-eight per cent of Maltese respondents in a Eurobarometer survey said they trust the police, while the health sector has a much higher trust rating of 85%.

By comparison, EU citizens in general trust the police more than the Maltese (69%) but trust the health services less (80%).

Only 25% of respondents said they trust the political parties, although this is higher than the EU average, which is 21%, and trust in the legal system stands at 35% (the EU average is 52%).

71% said they tend to trust the army, 57% trust the public administration.

The Maltese government is trusted by 49% and Parliament is trusted by 46% of respondents. 64% said they trust the European Union.

Trust in the media

Only 51% of Maltese respondents in a Eurobarometer survey said they trust the media to provide trustworthy information, compared to the EU average of 63%.

However, 71% said that the media in Malta does provide a diversity of views and opinions, which is at a similar level to the views expressed in the EU as a whole.

Only 25% believe that the media provide information free from political and commercial pressure. By comparison, the EU average is 43%.

When it comes to public media, only 24% believe that it is free from political pressure, compared to the EU average of 40%.

78% of respondents believe that they often come across news or information that they believe misrepresent reality or are even false.

63% said that they agree or totally agree that it is easy for them to identify news or information that they believe misrepresent reality or are even false.

Three out of four respondents claimed that the existence of news or information that misrepresent reality or is even false is a problem in Malta, and 80% of respondents said that the existence of news or information that misrepresent reality or is even false is a problem for democracy in general.