In the fifth edition of the State of the Nation Survey, which was held on Friday 6 June at Verdala Palace under the patronage of the President of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono, a set of key findings that emerged from the survey conducted nationwide were presented by UM Statistician, Researcher and Associate Professor at the Department of Business & Enterprise Management, Prof. Vincent Marmara.

• Family involvement is key in: decision making, everyday life, upholding of values and facing challenges.
• Village feasts are considered one of the most vital elements of Maltese culture, so are the Good Friday Procession, and traditional Maltese food.
• Despite the low birth rate and the consequent dependency on sectors that predominantly include foreigners, our population is less open to different cultures.
• Our population recognises the importance of God, but a noticeably lower number of individuals give importance to Religion.
• The younger one is, the less likely it is that they will consider religion and politics when taking a decision.
• Almost 80% of those using social media, use Facebook, TikTok and Instagram concurrently to access and consume their news – this intensive use of different channels might be compromising on quality time with our family members. Furthermore, people acknowledge that the most important form of education comes from their family, followed by school. Social media was rated as the least important source of education. Conversely, as mentioned above, people still spend a substantial amount of time on social media.
• This use of social media is creating serious challenges that are leaving a negative impact on people’s educational training, and making it harder for us to become better critical thinkers. An earlier survey also revealed that 57% of those aged between 16 and 25 had experienced bullying through social media.
• Our brain is being programmed to think for a few seconds, developing a lack of patience and reflection.
• Artificial intelligence also needs to become an integral part of the education system, from a young age. But with special attention to the above.
• The pace of technological progress far outstrips that of the National Curriculum, creating a constant need to catch up and to educate people on how to use AI as a tool to enhance their thinking and produce higher-quality work.

The extensive discussion on the above included the participation of several members of the University of Malta community.

Watch the discussion again below: