60% expect divorce to be introduced by 2018
56.4% of those under 34 years of age agree with divorce
31% expect MPs to vote according to their religious believes if a divorce bill is presented in parliament
55% agree with the recognition of cohabiting couples.
85% agree with education on use of condoms and contraception in schools.
41% agree with euthanasia in cases involving terminally ill patients
One in every four justifies abortion when mother’s health is threatened
One in every five justifies abortion when pregnancy is a result of rape

James Debono
A survey conducted by MaltaToday shows that a majority of Maltese are making a distinction between state and church.
If a divorce bill is tabled in parliament an absolute majority of respondents expect to vote on divorce according to the national interest and not according to personal religious beliefs.
Although a wafer thin majority still opposes divorce, a remarkable 60% expect divorce to be introduced in the next 10 years, and significantly 55% of respondents favour the recognition of the rights and duties of cohabiting couples.
Despite the church’s opposition to the use of condoms and other artificial contraceptives, 85% agree that school children should be thought about their use in secondary schools.
The survey also reveals the existence of strong minorities whose views on various moral issues contrast with those of the church.
While 41% agree with euthanasia in cases of terminally ill patients, 20% justify abortion in cases of rape.

Split on divorce
The Maltese are almost equally divided on divorce, with 50.2% opposed to its introduction and 46% supporting it.
Yet those favouring divorce are themselves split between 28% who give unqualified support for divorce legislation, and 18% who agree with divorce only in “certain circumstances.”
Younger people and males tend to favour divorce more than women and older people. Among 18-34-year-olds, 56% agree with divorce.
Support for divorce drops to 50% among 34- to 55-year-olds. But they still prevail over the 46.5% in the same age bracket who are opposed to divorce.
Opposition towards divorce rises dramatically among those over 55 years of age, where only 27% agree with divorce.
Significantly, the most vehemently opposed to divorce are women aged over 55. This could be an indication that this category feels that divorce legislation could make them vulnerable and erode their sense of security.
Confirming trends in previous MaltaToday surveys Labour voters are more likely to support the introduction of divorce. While 58% of Labour voters agree with divorce, only 35% of Nationalist voters think likewise.
This is an indication that a majority of Labour voters support Joseph Muscat’s personal stand in favour of divorce.
Muscat’s call for a free vote in parliament on divorce is also supported by a majority of respondents. Only 8% of respondents expect members of parliament to vote according to party directives if a divorce law is tabled in parliament.
Even more significantly, only 31% expect members of parliament to vote according to their religious beliefs.
Paradoxically, although a majority of respondents still opposes the introduction of divorce, 60% expect divorce to be introduced in the next 10 years. This suggests a sense of resignation among those opposed to divorce. In fact 51% of those opposed to divorce believe that divorce will be introduced in the next decade.
This could also reflect a growing political consensus that discussion on divorce cannot be postponed any longer. While opposition leader Muscat has promised to table a divorce law if Labour is elected, Social Policy Minister John Dalli has called for a national debate on divorce.

Strong support for cohabitation rights
The survey results also reflects the national consensus on the need to honour the Nationalist Party’s decade-old pledge to recognise the rights and obligation of cohabiting couples.
Although this measure was omitted from the PN’s electoral manifesto the Prime Minister has repeatedly pledged to introduce a law protecting the rights of cohabiting partners who have no rights when abandoned by their partners.
Even Archbishop Mgr Paul Cremona has spoken in favour of recognising the duties that cohabiting partners have towards each other.
Support for such a measure cuts across political lines with 52% of Nationalist voters and 58% of Labour voters supporting it.

Abortion taboo
Abortion remains a “no go area” for the vast majority of respondents, but a significant minority of respondents justify abortion in a variety of cases.
While 62% do not justify abortion in any circumstance, only 32% think that abortion can be justified in different circumstances.
This means that less than two thirds of the Maltese population supports a blanket ban on abortion.
One in four respondents justify abortion when the mother’s health is at risk and one in every five justifies abortion when the pregnancy is a result of rape. One in every 10 justify abortion when the foetus carries a disability and one in 20 favour abortion as a way of terminating an unwanted pregnancy.
Surprisingly while 20% agree with abortion in cases of rape, only 18% favours abortion in cases where a women gets pregnant as a result of incestuous relationships.

The Divorce-abortion link
In a sermon commemorating the feast of Our Lady of Victories on 8 September, the Bishops of Malta implied that “legislation leading to divorce, abortion and euthanasia” would weaken society.
Dismissing any link between the two issues, most people who favour the introduction of divorce do not justify abortion under any circumstance.
Among those favouring divorce only 6.5% favour abortion simply to terminate an unwanted pregnancy and 46.7% oppose abortion in any circumstance.
Still, people favouring divorce tend to be more liberal when it comes to justifying abortion in specific circumstances.
While 23% of those who agree with divorce justify abortion in cases of rape, only 14% of those who oppose divorce think likewise. People agreeing with divorce are also more likely to favour euthanasia than those opposed to divorce.
While 41% of those favouring the introduction of divorce agree with euthanasia for terminally ill patients, only 27% of those opposed to divorce think likewise.

Methodology
The survey was carried out between Monday 29 September and Wednesday 1 September. 468 respondents where randomly chosen from the telephone directory with 300 accepting to be interviewed. Results were weighed to reflect the age and sex balance of the population. The survey has a margin of error of 5.7%.