Wellbeing INDEX presents Updates at Parliament event

Research outcomes from the Wellbeing INDEX Project were presented at the Parliament of Malta last week. Launched five years ago by the MFWS and the University of Malta, and supported by a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Statistics Office, the Wellbeing INDEX project serves as a vital repository of data and evidence on the island’s wellbeing that goes beyond Gross Domestic Product to capture how people feel about their everyday lives. Its findings can be explored through interactive dashboards on the project’s website.

The Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society Founder and Chair Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, said the data showed that those requiring most attention were the very ill, the poor, the socially excluded and the time-poor. “This project was born out of the recognition that economic performance measured mainly by GDP growth, often overlooks the fundamental question: Are people in Malta feeling OK?  

“Wellbeing should be placed at the heart of governance, policy, and everyday life to ensure our decisions contribute to a society where all individuals can lead fulfilling and dignified lives,” Coleiro Preca said, thanking both sides of the House for their bipartisan support. 

Professor Marie Briguglio, who leads the research said wellbeing in Malta presented a picture of progress, paradoxes, and pressing challenges that could help inform policies. Ms Natalia Mangion, Research officer, explained who the data points to a widening gap between how satisfied people rate their lives and how they actually feel from day to day. While satisfaction with life, finances, employment, relationships and time use all improved from 2023 to 2024, emotional wellbeing declined across all indicators, with more people reporting frequent nervousness, loneliness, feeling downhearted and depressed, and fewer saying they felt calm and happy. Women reported significantly higher levels of negative emotions than men in 2024.

Professor Valerie Sollars, UM's Pro-Rector for Strategic Planning & Sustainability, stated that the project is an example of what collaborations between academia and practitioners can achieve. It has engaged extensively with political parties, public entities, local councils, and civil society, hosting conferences in Parliament to ensure ongoing dialogue. It has produced policy briefs, information sheets, and audio-visual materials, disseminated widely through media and social platforms. The project has also been presented internationally - in conferences, webinars, and peer-reviewed publications - and will continue to update Malta’s wellbeing indicators, build public sector capacity, strengthen stakeholder engagement, provide regular policy briefings, and establish Malta’s first repository of wellbeing interventions.

The event was addressed by Speaker Anglu Farrugia, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri, his Opposition counterpart Jerome Caruana Cilia, University Pro-Rector Valerie Sollars, and National Statistics Office Director Matthew Zerafa.

Prof. Briguglio thanked all those involved in the project this year, including people who are behind the scenes such as Prof. Joel Azzopardi and NeuralAI for their work on the website, Andrea Catania, Lorella Gatt, Em Falzon Sollars from the Malta Foundation for the wellbeing of Society and Etienne Caruana, Josianne Galea, Leanne Vassallo from the National Statistics Office.