The fight against climate change requires collective action — from governments, institutions, businesses and individuals. A good understanding of the climate challenge is essential for people to make informed choices. To assess the public’s understanding of climate change in Malta, the sixth edition of the EIB Climate Survey focuses on people’s knowledge of climate change in three key areas: definitions and causes, consequences, and solutions. Participants answered 12 questions and were ranked on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 indicating the highest level of knowledge. With over 30 000 respondents across 35 countries, including the EU Member States, the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Japan, India and Canada, the EIB Climate Survey provides valuable insights into people’s overall understanding of climate change.
Key findings
- Maltese respondents rank 25th in the EU27 (score of 5.84/10), placing them below the EU average of 6.37/10, according to the EIB survey. Finland leads the scoreboard with 7.22/10, followed by Luxembourg (7.19/10) and Sweden (6.96/10). Malta ranks immediately after Poland and ahead of Romania in a knowledge test on the causes and consequences of climate change and solutions to address it.
- Generational gap: 20- to 29-year-olds in Malta are among the most knowledgeable about climate change of their generation in the whole of the European Union (ranking sixth), only surpassed by young people in Luxembourg, Finland, Italy, Portugal and Croatia. They also know more than Maltese people over 30 when it comes to the causes and consequences of climate change and solutions to address it, scoring 6.52/10 overall compared to 5.65/10 for people over 30. It is the opposite in almost all EU countries, including Germany, France and Spain, where people over 30 are more knowledgeable on the topic than the younger generation.
- Overall knowledge gaps: Maltese people are generally aware of the causes of climate change but there is room for improvement in their knowledge about the consequences and solutions.
- 66% of respondents are aware that climate change triggers an increase in migration.
- More than two-thirds (68%) said that the sea level is rising due to climate change.
- Similarly to the findings in most EU countries, a large share of Maltese respondents did not know that reducing speed limits on roads (87%) or better insulating buildings (55%) can help combat climate change.
How well do people understand the causes of climate change?
The first sub-index focuses on the definition and causes of climate change. In this area, Maltese respondents scored below the EU average (6.40/10 compared to 7.21/10), ranking 25th in the European Union.
When it came to defining climate change, 60% of Maltese respondents (11 percentage points below the EU average of 71%) selected the correct definition (“A long-term shift in global climate patterns”). Over three-quarters (71%) are also aware that the main causes of climate change are human activities such as deforestation, agriculture, industry and transport. When asked about the three biggest greenhouse gas emitters worldwide, most Maltese respondents (62%, 10 percentage points below the EU average) correctly selected the United States, China and India.
How aware are people of the consequences of climate change?
When asked about the consequences of climate change, Maltese respondents scored 7.05/10 (ranking 25th in the European Union), below the EU average of 7.65/10.
- 80% know that it has a negative impact on human health (for example, it can lead to an increase in air pollutants such as ground-level ozone and particulate matter).
- 78% also correctly said that climate change is worsening world hunger by affecting crop yields due to extreme weather.
- Regarding the impact of climate change on sea levels, 68% of Maltese respondents correctly said that the global sea level is rising, but 25% said that climate change has no specific impact on the sea level.
- The impact of climate change on migration, with increased forced displacement worldwide, is clear for most Maltese respondents (56%, 13 percentage points below the EU average).
Knowledge of how to combat climate change varies
In the last sub-index, Maltese respondents scored 4.07/10 (below the EU average of 4.25/10), indicating significantly less knowledge of actions that can help mitigate climate change compared to the other two areas investigated. This highlights a general trend across EU countries, with most of them receiving low scores in this area.
- Most Maltese people (76%) know that using recyclable products can help mitigate climate change.
- 67% also correctly said that using public transport instead of an individual car is a step in the right direction.
- Less than half of respondents (45%) seem to know that better insulating buildings can help as well.
- Only a third of respondents (34%) are aware that buying new clothes less frequently could also help.
- Few respondents (13%, 13 percentage points below the EU average) seem to know that reducing the speed limit on roads would help mitigate climate change too.
- Finally, most Maltese people are unaware of the significant impact that digital usage has on the climate, with only 14% saying that watching fewer videos online can contribute to reducing emissions (albeit 5 percentage points above the EU average). This is also the case in the majority of EU countries.
- Like in most countries in Europe, less than half of Maltese people (40%) were able to correctly define an individual’s carbon footprint as “the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted by a person in a year.”
Generational gap
Knowledge about climate change varies depending on different aspects of people’s sociodemographic profiles. One of the most notable correlations is with age.
20- to 29-year-olds in Malta are among the most knowledgeable about climate change of their generation in the whole of the European Union (ranking sixth), only surpassed by young people in Luxembourg, Finland, Italy, Portugal and Croatia.
Young Maltese people also know more than those over 30 when it comes to the causes and consequences of climate change and solutions to address it, scoring 6.52/10 overall compared to 5.65/10 for people over 30. It is the opposite in almost all EU countries, including Germany, France and Spain, where people over 30 are more knowledgeable on the topic than the younger generation.
In Malta, there is a notable generational gap in people’s understanding of the definition and causes of climate change, with individuals under 30 scoring 6.61 compared to 6.31 for their elders.
This gap is particularly noticeable on the second sub-index about the consequences of climate change (8.15 for under 30s compared to 6.74 for over 30s). This ranks young Maltese people fourth in the European Union on this sub-index, only surpassed by young people in Luxembourg, Croatia and Italy.
The difference in scores is also significant when it comes to what can be done to fight climate change, where people under 30 scored 4.81 compared to 3.90 for older cohorts.
As the EU's financing arm, the EIB is investing in projects in Malta that support climate action. Recent initiatives include funding nearly 750 social housing units, which will meet high energy-efficiency standards, thereby reducing CO2 emissions, while addressing the urgent need for affordable housing. Additionally, the EIB is fostering the green transition for small and medium-sized enterprises and public sector entities by backing projects that aim to improve their ecological footprint. However, the Bank is not only providing financing on favourable terms, but it is also offering advisory services, through the Green Gateway initiative, to enhance our partners' capabilities to finance sustainable projects.
EIB Vice-President Kyriacos Kakouris: “It is - encouraging to see that young Maltese people are among the most knowledgeable about climate change in - the European Union. To win the fight againstglobal warming, we must sensitize all generations to its challenges, such as rising sea levels, heat waves and droughts. Being most vulnerable to its effects, small states must lead by example and implement all available measures. As the EU climate bank, the EIB is ready to support Malta’s green transformation across both the private and public sectors.”
Background information
Data and methodology
The survey methodology, questionnaire and full dataset can be downloaded here.
About the European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It is active in more than 160 countries and makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals. You can find more information about the EIB and climate education here.
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