Maltese have more faith in faith than science...

The Maltese are the third likeliest people in Europe to think that “we depend too much on science and not enough on faith,” a Europe-wide survey conducted by Eurobarometer shows.

At 56%, the percentage of Maltese respondents holding this belief was surpassed only by the Cypriots (66%) and the Greeks (58%).
The percentage of Maltese disagreeing with this belief (15%) was also third lowest in Europe after Cyprus and Bulgaria.

On the other end of the scale, only 20% of respondents in Denmark and 23% in the Netherlands and in Norway believe that we depend too much on science and not enough on faith.

But while the Maltese are among the most concerned about science replacing faith, they are the second least concerned in Europe on the influence of private lobbies on scientists.
While 70% of Germans believe that scientists cannot be trusted to tell the truth on controversial issues because of the funding they receive from industry, only 41% of Maltese think so.

Explaining the universe
Surprisingly, despite their Catholic tradition which abounds in miracles which defy science, the number of Maltese (45%) who believe that science will someday be able to give a complete picture on the way nature and the universe work is slightly higher than the European average (44%).

Respondents in the Czech Republic show the highest level of confidence in science’s ability to fully explain the universe (63%) while respondents in Finland expressed the lowest level of confidence (17%).

A surprisingly high 36% of Maltese respondents also believe that there should be no limits to what science is able to investigate. This view which is strongest in former Communist countries like the Baltic states and the Czech Republic. It is only shared by 21% of the Germans and 29% of the Dutch.

But the Maltese are keen believers in the precautionary principle, with 55% subscribing to the view that if a new technology poses a risk that is not yet fully understood, the development of this technology should be stopped even if benefits are expected.

Lucky numbers
The survey also assessed how superstitious Europeans are by asking then whether they believe that certain numbers are luckier than others for some people.

Europeans in general were divided on the idea: 40% of respondents agreed and 35% disagreed.

At 44%, the number of Maltese believing in this superstition was slightly higher than the European average.
But the survey shows that belief in lucky numbers is strongest in Latvia (60%), the Czech Republic (59%), Italy (58%) and Slovakia (57%).

Those who are the least convinced are found in Finland where 59% of respondents disagree, the Netherlands where 55% disagree and Norway where 50% disagree.

Of mice and monkeys
But the survey also shows that the Maltese are among the most skeptical on scientific experiments involving animals “like dogs and monkeys”, conducted to address human health problems. Only 33% of the Maltese agree with such experiments, but 42% were unable to make up their mind. The most favourable to such experiments were the Spaniards (65%) and the Bulgarians (62%). The least favourable country was Luxembourg (29%).

But while skeptical on the use of monkeys and dogs, 61% of the Maltese favour experiments on mice. The highest opposition to using mice for testing was found in Luxembourg (32%) and Switzerland (30%).

Scientific optimism
Despite their concern that we are depending too much on science and too little on faith, the Maltese are the foremost to believe that science makes our lives healthier, easier and more comfortable: a view shared by 78% of the Maltese, compared to 66% of Europeans.

But for all their optimism on the practical applications of science, 63% of the Maltese (compared to 53% of Europeans) also think that, because of their knowledge, scientists have a power that makes them dangerous.

This opinion is most widespread in southern Europe. with highest skepticism expressed by the Cypriots (68%) and the Greeks (67%)

Nearly all (92%) of Greeks and Cypriots also hold that science is changing life too fast. This view is shared by 65% of the Maltese, but only by 41% of the Dutch and Danes.