Nine out of ten youths think Malta’s environment is getting worse

Nine out of every ten youths in Malta believe that Malta’s environment is getting worse, with the number increasing by 5% in a single year.

Published in the EY Generate Youth Survey 2021, the report indicates a certain sentiment among Malta’s younger generations, comprising Gen-Z and Millenials.

On average, 68% of youths believe that overdevelopment is Malta’s biggest challenge, with environment ranked at the second biggest concern.

In the previous year, COVID-19 placed third in the list of Malta’s biggest challenges. This time around, it decreased substantially to 6th place, with only 20% of youths believing that it is Malta’s biggest challenge.

Given high environmental concern, Malta’s youth feel that government should prioritise investing in pollution reduction and waste management. Governance and public education follow behind.

Roughly 30% of youths feel that they will not be living better in five years’ time, marking an 8-10% increase in a single year. Almost 40% stated that they do not know where they will be five years from now.

Given the option, 60% of youths said they would rather live in another European country outside Malta, and only 27% said they would remain on the islands.

When asked about their financial situation, many said that it is looking more positive compared to a year ago. Despite this, 23% of Gen-Z said that the economy is in poor state, marking a 7% increase from last year. Millenials are also increasingly rating Malta’s economy as fair or poor. Only 1-2% of respondents across both generations said that the economy is excellent.

Both generations share an entrepreneurial spirit. In both groups, the absolute majority said they feel more inclined to be entrepreneurs than employees. A slightly higher percentage of Gen-Z respondents believe their generation is more entrepreneurial than previous ones.