Joie de vivre? Maltese dance and sing less, but shine on stage and in writing

Few things capture the joy of life quite like dancing and singing, shared moments of rhythm, emotion, and connection that bring people together.

However, the Maltese tend to shun dancing and singing compared to most other Europeans. Instead, they are more likely to act on stage and write poems and novels.

This emerges from a Eurobarometer survey on attitudes towards culture, which included a question on which artistic activities respondents in each EU member state had engaged in, either alone or in a class or group, during the past 12 months.

The survey shows that while dancing is the most popular cultural activity across the continent, with 17% of respondents in all 27 EU member states having danced in the past year, only 10% of Maltese say they have done so.

However, the Maltese are more likely to dance than only Latvians (9%), Poles (9%), Romanians (8%), and Lithuanians (5%).

In contrast, the most avid dancers are the Greeks (37%), Luxembourgers (28%), and Finns (27%).

The Maltese are also among the least likely to have practised singing in the past year. While 15% of all EU respondents reported singing, only 8% of Maltese said they had done so, the same percentage as in Hungary and Poland.

The only Europeans who sing less are Lithuanians (7%), Romanians (4%), and Portuguese (3%).

In contrast, the highest percentage of singers is found in Sweden (23%), followed by the Netherlands (20%).

Furthermore, while singing and dancing are not particularly popular in Malta, the Maltese are among the most likely to act on stage (7%), second only to the Swedes (9%).

Surprisingly, the Maltese are also the fifth most likely in Europe to write poems, novels, or essays, with 9% of the population involved in this activity. Additionally, 7% of Maltese engage in creative computing and programming, a figure slightly lower than the EU average.

Despite the popularity of band clubs, the Maltese are also slightly less likely to play a musical instrument. While 11% of all EU respondents reported playing an instrument in the past year, the figure drops to 9% in Malta. This contrasts sharply with Sweden (23%), the Netherlands (20%), and Finland (19%).

The survey shows that half of the Maltese, like half of all EU respondents, have not participated in any of the listed artistic activities. However, participation varies widely, ranging from a low of 19% in Romania to a high of 69% in Finland.

Still, despite their reluctance to dance and sing, the Maltese report a high level of contentment, with 91% saying they are fulfilled in their personal lives. Of these, 36% report being “totally fulfilled,” in contrast to 30% of all EU respondents.