The second edition of the ‘State of the Nation’ scientific survey has offered some very interesting insights about Maltese people’s habits, beliefs, and opinions.

Carried out between the end of April and mid-May 2022, the survey was conducted on a sample of 1,064 people aged 16 and over. University of Malta lecturer and statistics expert Vincent Marmará spearheaded this effort.

One of the areas explored throughout this survey was religion, and one could say the results were somewhat unsurprising.

Turns out that a whopping 90.5 per cent of Maltese people said they believe in God. On the other hand, only five per cent of people said they don’t believe in God, whilst the remaining 4.5 per cent were uncertain.

The number of believers in Malta is down three per cent from last year, when it stood at 93.5 per cent.

Image credit: State of the Nation

Marmará’s survey went on to find that, generally, you’re more likely to believe in God if you’re a woman.

That’s right – 94.2 per cent of female participants said they believe in God whilst only 86.8 per cent of male participants concurred.

Moreover, 97.6 per cent of elderly people, specifically those aged 66 or older, said they believed in God whilst only 78 per cent of Maltese people aged between 26 and 35 concurred.

Other topics explored throughout the survey include culture, the environment, employment, rights, and politics.

Speaking at a press conference, Dr Marmará said that this study showed the extent of the effect of pandemic restrictions on people’s lives, as respondents generally agreed that they are happier this year than they were last year.

The researcher also pointed out that Maltese people clearly miss village feasts, as they were repeatedly regarded as ‘the most important element’ of Maltese culture. They even beat out traditional foods, processions, art and music, and carnival.

Intrigued by the survey’s findings?

Click here to read the results in full.