[SURVEY] The rise of liberal Gozo

The picture emerging from a MaltaToday survey carried out over the last week among 300 Gozitan residents is a more secular one than previous surveys.

Despite strong opposition to IVF by the Curia, which was relayed to the faithful in a pastoral letter read in all churches in Malta and Gozo, 73% of Gozitans support the inclusion of IVF in public healthcare.

Bishop Mario Grech who still enjoys the trust of 59% of Gozitans had launched a scathing attack on in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), describing it as "a highly abortive" technique.

The survey also tackles gay marriage and the Gozitans' main concerns.

While employment ranks in fourth place in the list of concerns of the Maltese in general, it tops the risk of concerns of Gozitans many of which have to seek a job in Malta. In a reflection of ongoing road works at the peak of the summer season, the state of the roads emerges as the second most pressing concern of Gozitans.

The employment situation also topped the lost of concerns in a similar survey conducted last year. But in marked contrast with last year's survey in which public transport emerged as the second most pressing concern, nobody mentioned this issue in the survey. This reflects general satisfaction with the new public transport system in Gozo. 

The survey also shows that while a relative majority of 36% think that the Gozitan economy is faring badly, a relative majority of 39% think that the tourist industry is having a good summer.  Moreover only 17% think that the tourist industry is having a bad year.

This suggests that although Gozitans remain apprehensive on the economic situation, their outlook is less bleak on the prospects of the island's economic locomotive: tourism.