Living under COVID-19: 59% of Maltese prefer ‘order’ over ‘personal freedom’

59% of Maltese would prefer a European society which gives more importance to order than to individual freedom, according to a Eurobarometer survey conducted in all EU member states.

This makes the Maltese the most likely in the EU to prefer “order” over “personal freedom”.

Europeans were largely split in two camps when answering this fundamental but abstract question, which often cuts across the ideological divide depending on which issue is being discussed at any particular time.

But surprisingly, both Maltese and European are now more polarised than they were in 2017, with the percentage who think that order and freedom are equally important dropping by 18 points in the EU as a whole, and by 14 points in Malta.

This increased polarisation could reflect a change in public attitudes during the pandemic in the face of restrictions on personal freedoms through lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

But the pandemic has also exposed contradictions amongst those on the right, who normally prioritise ‘law and order’ but then express concern on the erosion of freedoms in the face of the State’s attempt to contain the virus and among those on the left who normally favour an extension of personal freedoms but support measures aimed at protecting the collective.

Since the question was a generic one, it is also possible that it was interpreted differently according to the realities prevailing in each country. But it does give an indication on the mindframe prevailing in different member states.

The survey shows ‘order’ prevailing over ‘freedom’ in 12 countries and ‘freedom’ prevailing over ‘order’ in 14 countries.

Compared to 2017, respondents in all Europe are now more likely to prefer individual freedom (+12 percentage points) or order (+10) and are now less likely to prefer a society where both are equally important (-18).

But while the Maltese are the most likely to aspire for a Europe which prioritises order over freedom, the percentage of those who prefer freedom has increased by 14 points while those who prefer order has only increased by 3 points.

In 14 Member States, a majority of respondents prefer a 2030 European society where more importance is placed on order, and this preference is strongest in Malta (59%), Spain, Finland (both 56%) and Poland (55%).

In 12 countries the strongest preference is for more importance placed on individual freedoms with the largest proportions seen in Greece, the Netherlands (both 59%) and Austria (58%).

The Maltese also overwhelmingly want a Europe which prioritises solidarity over individualism as does a majority of respondents in all EU member states.

When asked their preferences for an EU society in 2030, more than eight in ten European respondents would prefer more importance given to solidarity, while 13% prefer one with more importance given to individualism. In Malta the percentage who value solidarity over individualism increases to 90%.

The majority of respondents in each Member State prefer EU society in 2030 to place more importance on solidarity, with proportions ranging from 94% in Spain, 93% in Greece and 91% in France and Luxembourg to 58% in Austria, 62% in Slovakia and 68% in Finland.

In general, former communist countries were more inclined to favour individualism over solidarity; while states ravaged by austerity in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis (like Spain and Greece) more inclined to prioritise solidarity.

The survey also shows that migration is considered by the Maltese as the most pressing challenge for the EU. While 31% of all Europeans consider migration as one of Europe’s three main challenges, the percentage rises to 61% in Malta. The most pressing challenge for respondents in all member states is social inequality (36%) but in Malta only 24% consider inequality as one of the three main challenges.

The survey also shows that 62% of the Maltese consider EU membership as a good thing as do a similar percentage of respondents in all EU member states. Only 10% of the Maltese consider EU membership a bad thing. The percentage who consider EU membership a good thing rises to a staggering 72% among Maltese youths aged between 15 and 24.