Young PEoPlE ArE tHE Most unsurE About tHEir votE
Swing voters remain in a distinct minority, polling data suggests, though those numbers favour the PN. Just 2.3% of PN voters in 2022 say they will vote Labour, versus a slightly larger 3.2% of Labour voters who say they will vote for the PN this time round.
Almost 3% of Labour voters now intend to vote for far-right party Imperium Europa, versus less than 1% of PN voters.
Almost 40% of young people aged 25 to 34 remain undecided about where to cast their EP vote, though the PN appears to be struggling to sell its message to that demographic.
Only 14% of voters in that age group said they intend to vote PN, versus the almost 23% who said they will vote Labour.
On the other hand, support for Labour appears to be inversely proportional to education levels.
While 43% of respondents who stopped formal education after secondary school said they will vote Labour, that figure drops to 28% when assessing respondents with a post-secondary education and just 9% among those with more than one university degree.
WoMEn vAluE MEP ElEctions MorE tHAn MEn
Women believe in MEP elections and their importance more than men do, the survey indicates. Almost 58% of women said the EU election is as important as the general election – something just 39% of men believe.
PN voters also value MEP elections more than their Labour counterparts, the data suggests.
Almost 60% of PN voters said MEP elections are as important as the general elections but only 40% of Labour voters shared that sentiment.
FigHting For MAltA
The overwhelming majority of voters expect MEPs to primarily fight for Maltese interests. More than 30% said the primary role of an MEP is to make sure EU legislation affects Malta positively and another 24% said it was to promote Malta’s interests.
Only 11% believe MEPs’ primary role is to promote legislation for the benefit of all EU member states while 16% expect their MEPs to encourage the EU to scrutinise the Maltese government.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a large proportion of those who voted PN in the 2022 general election – 35.9% – highlighted MEPs’ role in scrutinising the government.
Conversely, most Labour voters emphasise MEPs’ role in promoting Maltese interests as their primary role.
Respondents across almost all ages and demographics said the EU’s main priority should be migration, followed by climate change, social justice and equality and economic policies.
Migration appears to be a particularly important topic to voters aged 35-64.
Almost half of all respondents said the EU has had a positive or very positive impact on Malta.
Over a tenth of respondents, however, said the impact has been generally negative or very negative. Disillusionment among Gozitans is the highest, with a significant fifth of them being Eurosceptic.
PN voters are far more likely to be avowedly pro-EU than Labour ones: a third of those who voted PN in 2022 said the EU has had a very positive impact on Malta, versus just 11% of Labour voters having the same view.
Malta will vote for its MEPs, mayors and local councillors on June 8.