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Environment emerges as fourth top concern
James Debono
Materialistic concerns like the cost of living and employment opportunities top the list of concerns of respondents of all political shades.
But the environment, a post-materialistic value characteristic of advanced societies, has emerged as the fourth top concern among respondents in MaltaToday’s October survey, showing a sizeable number of respondents are giving more importance to quality of life issues than typical bread and butter concerns.
While less than one per cent considered the environment as a top national concern in a similar survey held in December 2005, nine months later the environment emerges as the top concern of nine per cent of respondents.
The environment is only surpassed by the cost of living, employment and the country’s finances as a top concern.
Among undecided respondents and those who will not be voting in a forthcoming election, more than 11 per cent regard the environment as their top concern. The surge of environmental concerns comes in the wake of the government’s decision to extend development boundaries, a decision which galvanised support for an umbrella of environmental organisations.
It could also be an indication that more people are losing hope of any subsiding of the never-ending construction boom and are now more concerned on its effect on their wellbeing due to dust, noise and loss of views.
In fact most respondents associated the environment with unbridled construction, with only a few associating it with problems like waste and pollution.
Significantly the environment is more of a concern among PN voters (9%) than among MLP voters (6%). In general Labourites are more concerned by material issues like the cost of living and employment than the environment.
Another issue which strikes a greater chord with Nationalists than with Labourites is immigration, emerging the third top concern for Nationalist voters. Only 2.3 per cent of Labourites consider illegal immigration as top priority.
jdebono@mediatoday.com
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