With the 2022 election approaching, The Third Eye launched a survey to find out what the youth population of Malta wants to see implemented by their elected politicians.
A total of 234 responses were gathered from the survey, therefore it can be concluded that the survey has a 95% confidence interval and with a margin of error 6.5%.
The survey included a total of eleven questions ranging from the participant’s age to more in-depth topics such as what they seek for in a politician. The following is a summary of the survey’s most key questions:
How much do you feel empowered with your right to vote?
While a total of 54% said that they felt empowered with their vote, 29% reported they are neutral on their power to vote, with17% said they have no power with the vote.
Do you think young adults are educated enough to make such a decision?
This question is one which is frequently discussed, therefore it was only right to see what youths thought about it. 47.9% of participants agreed that youths are educated enough to vote in the election. This shows that most think that further education is needed as youth might not have all the necessary information to cast a vote.
Do you think that Third Parties have potential impact on the coming election.
A shocking 60.7% said that Third Parties do not have an impact, with only 26.4% saying that they do. Furthermore, 12.8% are unsure. This shows that most still view Malta as a bi-party system.
What social aspects are important for you when voting?
- An overwhelming majority of 75.2% mentioned that environment sustainability is an important social aspect
- 65.8% mentioned that anti-corruption is an important aspect when voting
- 54% stated that rule of law is important for them
- Furthermore, a total of 45.3% said that health and mental health services are important social aspects
- Other social aspects mentioned were education systems, LGBTIQQ rights, technocracy, and reproductive rights
How much do you think that politicians are likely to follow their electoral promises?
40.6% of participants are on the fence, with 37.6% saying no. However, only 21.8% said that politicians will follow their electoral promises, which gives a clear indication that people do not believe that politicians will follow on their promises.
Which characteristics do you look for in a politician?
82.9% responses mentioned they want a trustworthy politician, following that, 67.1% mentioned that they want a good leader and 55.1% want a humble leader, 38.9% want a disciplined politician. Additional responses included competency, outspoken, and integral leader.
Do you think you might change your political party preference in different elections?
Surprisingly, 45.3% of participants responded that they would consider changing political parties, with 29.1% answering yes, and only 25.6% answering no. Based on these results, we can theorize that youths may be challenging the partisan culture of Malta.
How much influence does your family have on who you vote for?
Further results have shown 56.4% of respondents said that family does not influence them, adding to the argument that youths may be challenging partisan culture.
When voting do you tend to vote for politicians in the same party ?
The majority of students, 41%, said that they vote for candidates in the same party, while 40.2% may vote for different candidates from different parties, with 59% saying they would vote on a candidate basis.
The Third Eye wishes all candidates luck in the upcoming election