Dumb and dumber? 15% of Maltese think early man lived with dinos

The percentage of Maltese who believe that the earliest humans lived at the same time of the dinosaurs has declined from 29% in 2005 to 15% in 2021 – reassuringly – according to a Eurobarometer survey assessing attitudes towards science and technology.

The survey faced respondents with four statements, asking them whether these are true or false.

While 60% of Maltese correctly believe that dinosaurs and humans did not co-exist, a substantial 25% of Maltese replied ‘don’t know’. In this case the percentage of don’t knows was one of the highest in Europe.

This means that although the percentage of people who falsely believe that humans and dinosaurs co-existed is 5 points lower than that in all 27 EU member states, the incorrect belief that the two species co-existed is supported by only 60% of Maltese, compared to 66% of all EU citizens.

Jurassic lark

Percentage who believe earliest humans lived at the same time of the dinosaurs

The highest percentage of people who believe that humans and dinosaurs co-existed is found in Romania and Italy (34%) followed by Hungary (31%). The lowest percentage of people who share this incorrect view is found in Belgium (5%) and Sweden (3%).

Compared to a similar survey in 2005, the percentage of respondents who answered correctly has increased in 12 EU Member States.

The proportion of respondents who correctly say that it is false that humans and dinosaurs co-existed has increased, with the most notable shifts in Portugal (+18 pp), Spain (+15 pp), Ireland (+14 pp) and Belgium and Malta (both +12 pp)

The survey also shows that 74% of Maltese correctly believe “that human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals”. Only 15% of Maltese say that this statement is false, while 11% replied don’t know. Moreover the percentage of those who do not believe that humans evolved from other animals has declined by 10 percentage points since 2005.

Respondents are most likely to correctly say that human beings developed from earlier species of animals in Ireland (84%), Sweden, Luxembourg and Denmark (83% in each) and Belgium (81%). This compares with the EU average of 67%.

The survey also shows that a relative majority of Maltese (41%) incorrectly believe that the world population has surpassed the 10 billion mark.

Only 28% of Maltese were knowledgeable enough to say that the statement “The world’s human population is currently more than 10 billion” is false. Currently the world population is estimated at 7.9 billion.

Respondents are most likely to correctly say that it is false that the world’s population is over 10 billion in Luxembourg (63%), Estonia (62%) and Czech Republic (60%), with the lowest proportions reported in Cyprus (24%), Bulgaria (27%), and Spain and Malta (both 28%). This compares with the EU average of 43%.

The survey also shows that 83% of Maltese correctly believe that “the continents on which we live have been moving for millions of years and will continue to move in the future”. The highest correct answers were found in Germany and Sweden (both 92%), Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (91% in each) and Belgium (90%). The lowest proportion is in Romania (62%), followed by Bulgaria (67%). This compares with the EU average of 82%.