In a recent Eurobarometer survey, a comprehensive study tracking public opinions on social and political issues, Malta’s picture of attitudes towards discrimination and interpersonal relationships.

The survey, conducted twice a year across the European Union, sheds light on evolving perspectives within Maltese society, particularly regarding discrimination based on skin color, religion, and gender identity.

According to the findings, a substantial 70% of respondents in Malta acknowledged the prevalence of discrimination based on skin color, marking a significant 11-percentage point increase since the last survey in 2019. This surge, alongside Cyprus, represents one of the highest spikes in the EU. Interestingly, France and the Netherlands topped the list with 78% of respondents perceiving discrimination based on skin color as widespread, while Latvia (22%) and Lithuania (25%) reported the lowest prevalence.

The survey delved deep into personal relationships, revealing that over 40% of Maltese respondents expressed discomfort with the idea of their child dating a Muslim or transgender person. This statistic is 19 and 12 percentage points above the EU average, respectively.

Notably, Malta witnessed an increase in reported instances of discrimination, with 22% of respondents indicating they had experienced discrimination in the past 12 months. While this marks a 14-percentage point increase since 2019, it only marginally surpasses the EU average by one percentage point.

One striking revelation from the survey is Malta’s unique identification of ‘disability’ as the primary factor affecting job opportunities. A notable 65 % of respondents believed that disability could disadvantage a candidate when vying for a job, reflecting a significant 38-percentage point increase since 2019—the highest surge across the EU and 50 % above the European average.

Moreover, Malta exhibited the second-highest proportion (57 %) of respondents who believed that skin color could negatively impact job prospects and the third-highest share (50 %) for those associating ethnicity with potential hiring biases. This signals a heightened awareness of multiple forms of discrimination within employment settings.

The survey also highlighted the persistence of discriminatory factors, including skin color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and home address, all mentioned more frequently by respondents compared to the 2019 survey.

#MaltaDaily