Abela misrepresents youth home ownership figures, Opposition claims

The Opposition has claimed that Prime Minister Robert Abela is misleading the public over home ownership rates among young people in Malta.

“Robert Abela was misleading the public because the study looks at family units, not individuals,” the PN said in a statement signed by MPs Bernice Bonello and Ivan Bartolo. “The 91% figure that Abela is deliberately repeating does not refer to individual young people who own their home. It refers to households in which all members are under the age of 35.”

They said Abela has repeatedly claimed that nine out of every 10 young people under the age of 35 own their home, citing a figure far better than the European average.

The MPs explained that the study quoted by Abela from the Household Finance and Consumption Survey carried out by the Central Bank excludes thousands of young people under 35 who live with their parents or with other adults.

This distinction has been confirmed by the Central Bank itself, which had to clarify the matter in response to Abela’s claims. A fact-check carried out by the Times of Malta also misrepresented the data, according to the party.

The PN said the reality is very different from the picture painted by Abela. Thousands of young people in Malta and Gozo have no choice but to continue living with their parents or share accommodation with others because property prices have risen beyond reasonable levels while wages have lagged behind.

The party pointed out that Abela failed to mention that the average price of an apartment in Malta now exceeds €400,000, whilst recent statistics show rental affordability has become practically non-existent, with rents rising at a much faster rate than wages and the cost of living.

“This was a deliberate attempt to downplay a serious problem affecting an entire generation,” the party said. “The prime minister knows that the survey deals with households, not young people as individuals, yet he still chooses to use these figures to give a false interpretation.”

“Instead of addressing the problems faced by young people who want to become homeowners, Robert Abela is lying about them,” it said.