The latest surveys show the Maltese almost evenly split on the divorce issue.
Opposition to divorce has decreased by 7 percentage points from 57% in 1995 to 49-50% in the 2008. And while a Xarabank survey in October 2008 showed a very slight majority agreeing with the introduction of divorce, a MaltaToday survey carried out a few weeks earlier showed 50.2% still opposed to its introduction and 46% supporting it.
Yet those favouring divorce are themselves divided between 28% who give unqualified support for divorce legislation, and 18% who agree with divorce only in “certain circumstances.”
This indicates that one fifth of the population would only accept divorce if this is limited to particular circumstances.
Younger people and males tend to favour divorce more than women and older people. Among 18-34-year-olds, 56% agree with divorce.
A more recent survey conducted by the University of Malta’s Chaplaincy also found that about 57% of university students say that divorce should be legalised in Malta.
The survey also showed that 44% of students agree with the Church’s position that divorce is morally unacceptable.
But in MaltaToday surveys, 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 more vulnerable and erode their sense of security.
Among those who have experienced a separation in their family, support for divorce rises to 62 per cent.
The politics of divorce
MaltaToday surveys also show that Labour voters are more likely to support the introduction of divorce. While 55- 58% of Labour voters agree with divorce, 35%-42% 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 was 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.
MaltaToday surveys on divorce
Should Malta introduce divorce?
Jan 2007 October 2008
Yes 28.1 28
Only in certain cases 21.5 18
No 50.4 50.2
Don’t know - 3.8
Agreement with introduction of divorce in all or certain cases, according to age group (MaltaToday survey October 2008)
18-34 56
35-54 50
55+ 27
Opposition to divorce since 1995
European Values Survey 1995 57
European Values Survey 1999 56
Xarabank Jan 2005 54.6
MaltaToday Jan 2007 50.4
MaltaToday October 2008 50.2
Xarbank October 2008 49.1
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