Article: Public perception and experiences of gender roles, tolerance, and discrimination: 2025
Author: Education and Community Safety
Published on: 26 August 2026
Introduction
In September 2025, the National Statistics Office carried out an omnibus survey with a representative sample of the resident population aged 18 and over. More information on the survey can be found in the methodological notes section. This article is the second in a series of articles from the survey, which covers household roles, social tolerance and discrimination. The questions within these topics aimed to measure respondents’ opinions about different household roles, their level of tolerance towards persons from different social groups living within their neighbourhood and their perception and experience of discrimination and harassment.
Household roles and gendered norms
Respondents were asked to express their views on household roles and societal gendered norms. Overall, 92 per cent of respondents agreed that partners in a couple should share equal responsibility of household chores and children. Agreement was slightly lower when asked if they believed both partners should contribute financially to the household (88 per cent). When asked about their opinion on specific gendered norms, 90 per cent of respondents disagreed that tertiary education is more important for boys than girls. Disagreement was slightly lower when asked if they believed that men are generally better political leaders than women, with 81 per cent disagreeing with this statement (Table 1, Chart 1).
Note: Totals may not add to 100 per cent due to rounding and the exclusion of responses categorised as undecided and do not know. For more information, please refer to methodological note 7.
There were differences in opinions across several demographic characteristics. Most of note are the differences across sex, age and highest educational attainment. Women were more likely than men to agree that partners should share equal responsibility for household chores and childrearing (F: 93 per cent; M: 90 per cent) and should both contribute financially to the household (F: 91 per cent; M: 86 per cent). Women were also more likely to disagree that tertiary education is more important for boys than girls (F: 93 per cent; M: 88 per cent) and that men are better political leaders than women (F: 86 per cent; M: 77 per cent).
Differences by age were less prominent. The greatest difference across age groups was seen when respondents were asked if they agreed or disagreed that men are better political leaders than women. A larger share of those aged 35 to 64 (85 per cent) disagreed with this statement when compared to those aged 18 to 34 and 65 and over (both 77 per cent). Differences were also seen across highest educational attainment, disagreement was highest among those with a tertiary level of education (86 per cent), followed by those with a post-secondary level of education (79 per cent) and those with a secondary level of education or less (78 per cent). A similar gradient was seen when asked whether they agreed that tertiary education is more important for boys than girls. Among those with a tertiary education, 94 per cent disagreed. This was followed by those with a post-secondary education at 89 per cent and those with up to a secondary level of education at 87 per cent (Table 1).
Social tolerance
Respondents were asked to state how comfortable they would feel having people from different social groups as their neighbours. For each group they were asked to rate their level of comfort from a score of 1 to 5 where 1 is totally uncomfortable and 5 is totally comfortable. Based on this scale, the higher the number the greater the level of comfort. Chart 2 shows the mean score for each social group. The lowest level of comfort was seen when asking respondents how they feel about having neighbours with a history of incarceration or criminality, with an average score of 3.2. In contrast, the highest average score was for tolerance of a neighbour with a disability, at 4.9.
Note: Response category Do not know has been excluded from the calculation of the mean score.
While the mean scores did not vary considerably by respondents’ demographic characteristics, the share of those reporting they are totally comfortable with the different social groups did. When comparing by sex, the most pronounced differences were seen for tolerance of persons with a disability, those who identify as LGBTIQ+ and those with a history of incarceration or criminality. More women reported they are totally comfortable having neighbours who have a disability compared to men (F: 93 per cent; M: 90 per cent), or neighbours who identify as LGBTIQ+ (F: 88 per cent; M: 81 per cent). On the other hand, more men reported they are totally comfortable having neighbours who were incarcerated or have a criminal history compared to women (F: 21 per cent; M: 30 per cent) (Chart 3, Table 2a and 2b).
Analysis of the share of respondents who feel totally comfortable with persons from social groups by age does not show a consistent gradient. The general pattern however indicates higher shares in the age group 35-64 and lower shares in the youngest age group 18-34. The differences were largest for the share of respondents who feel totally comfortable with neighbours who have a disability (18-34: 88 per cent; 35 – 64: 93 per cent), identify as LGBTIQ+ (18-34: 81 per cent; 35-64: 87 per cent) and have a different political opinion (18-34: 83 per cent; 35 – 64: 87 per cent).
When analysing the data by highest educational attainment, those with the lowest level of education (secondary or lower) had a higher share reporting they are totally comfortable when compared to the other education levels. This was especially for neighbours with a different ethnicity, skin-colour or language, neighbours with different religious beliefs and neighbours with a history of incarceration and criminality. There was no difference for the other social groups (Tables 3a and 3b).
Discrimination and harassment
Respondents were asked to indicate how frequently they believe different types of discrimination occur, on the basis of ethnicity, skin colour or language, religion, sex, socio-economic status, or age. Overall, 83 per cent of respondents believe that discrimination, of at least one type, occurs at some frequency ranging from rarely to very often. This percentage was higher among women when compared to men (F:87 per cent; M: 79 per cent), decreased with age (18-34: 84 per cent; 35 – 64: 83 per cent; 65+: 81 per cent) and increased as highest level of education increased (secondary or lower: 77 per cent; post-secondary: 85 per cent; tertiary: 89 per cent) (Table 5).
Respondents believed that discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, skin colour or language was the most prevalent type of discrimination. In total 25 per cent believed this happens very often, with a further 39 per cent believing it happens sometimes. Only 17 per cent believed discrimination based on ethnicity, skin colour or language never happens. Discrimination due to age was perceived to be the least common with 37 per cent believing it never happens (Chart 4, Tables 6a and 6b).
Note: Totals may not add to 100 per cent due to rounding and the exclusion of responses categorised as do not know. For more information, please refer to methodological note 7.
For all types of discrimination, women were less likely than men to state that discrimination never occurred. The differences were greatest for sex discrimination and age discrimination. Overall, 37 per cent of men reported that discrimination based on sex never occurs, compared to 23 per cent of women. For age discrimination, 42 per cent of men stated this never occurs compared to 30 per cent of women (Chart 5, Tables 6a and 6b).
While there were no specific patterns by age for those saying that discrimination never happens, there was however a gradient by highest educational attainment for all the types of discrimination. The share reporting that discrimination by type never happens decreased as highest educational attainment increased. The largest gap between the lowest and highest education levels was for discrimination based on sex (secondary or lower: 34 per cent; tertiary: 23 per cent) and discrimination based on age (secondary or lower: 41 per cent; tertiary: 31 per cent) (Chart 6, Table 6a and 6b).
Respondents were asked about their own experience of discrimination and harassment over the last 5 years and last 12 months. Overall, 25 per cent of respondents reported having experienced some form of discrimination or harassment during the past five years, while 16 per cent reported such experiences within the previous 12 months. Experience of discrimination over the past 5 years was slightly higher among women (26 per cent), those in the youngest age group (29 per cent) and those with a tertiary level of education (35 per cent) (Table 7). The most common type of discrimination and harassment experienced by the respondents in both the last 5 years and last 12 months was discrimination due to ethnicity, skin colour or language at 8 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively (Tables 8 and 9). Of those who experienced some form of discrimination and harassment over the past 12 months, 39 per cent stated that they reported it. Of those reporting the incident, 88 per cent said they did so informally to a family member, other relative or friend (Table 9).
Tables
Methodological Notes
- Mandate and scope of survey: The National Statistics Office (NSO) launched the Omnibus Survey in September 2025. The survey covered multiple topics not currently included in routine surveys. The information collected also aligns with indicators within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as adopted by the United Nations. Further information can be found here.
- Coverage and sampling: The target population for this survey consisted of all individuals aged 18 years and over who were residing in private households and had a landline or mobile phone. A total of 491,120 persons were eligible to participate in the survey. A stratified random sampling technique was used. A total of 36 strata were used for this survey, each corresponding to a unique combination of sex, age group, and district of residence. Quotas were used throughout the data collection phase to ensure that the required number of persons from each sub-group were selected, thereby guaranteeing the designed margin of error. Since the mechanism of selecting individuals was carried out in a random manner, no significant bias was introduced by applying such quotas. The final net sample consisted of a total of 1,017 persons; of which 508 were male and 509 were female.
- Data collection and quality control: Data was collected by means of Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) between 26th September 2025 and 1st October 2025. During CATI surveys, respondents are contacted by telephone and data collected during the interview is recorded through the means of electronic devices such as tablets or laptops. The questionnaire was made available in both English and Maltese. A series of quality checks and in-built validation rules in the data collection tool were used to limit the occurrence of non-sampling errors. Following data collection, interviewers were randomly selected and subjected to an audit.
- Weighting of results and treatment of errors: Survey data was weighted to correct for any biases present in the final sample of participating units arising from variations in response rates observed in different sub-groups. The final weighted sample estimates, therefore, represent all persons aged 18 and over, residing in private households in Malta. Data included in this article are based on sample data and are therefore subject to sampling error. Sampling error is measured by a quantity known as the margin of error, which in turn, expresses the variability between the true population parameters and their corresponding sample estimates. In the table below, the margin of error is used to construct a set of 95 per cent confidence intervals for specific variables, which gives an indication of where the true population parameters lie.
| Estimate | Margin of Error | 95% Confidence Interval | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agree that all partners in a couple household should share equal responsibility for household chores and children (%) | |||
| Total | 91.7 | 1.8 | 91.7 ± 1.8 |
| Male | 90.3 | 2.7 | 90.3 ± 2.7 |
| Female | 93.4 | 2.3 | 93.4 ± 2.3 |
| Disagree that all partners in a couple household should share equal responsibility for household chores and children (%) | |||
| Total | 3.7 | 1.2 | 3.7 ± 1.2 |
| Male | 4.2 | 1.9 | 4.2 ± 1.9 |
| Female | 3.2 | 1.6 | 3.2 ± 1.6 |
| Agree that tertiary education is more important for boys than girls (%) | |||
| Total | 7.9 | 1.7 | 7.9 ± 1.7 |
| Male | 10.0 | 2.7 | 10 ± 2.7 |
| Female | 5.5 | 2.0 | 5.5 ± 2 |
| Disagree that tertiary education is more important for boys than girls (%) | |||
| Total | 90.1 | 1.9 | 90.1 ± 1.9 |
| Male | 87.7 | 3.0 | 87.7 ± 3 |
| Female | 92.9 | 2.3 | 92.9 ± 2.3 |
| Agree that both partners should contribute financially to the household (%) | |||
| Total | 88.2 | 2.1 | 88.2 ± 2.1 |
| Male | 85.6 | 3.2 | 85.6 ± 3.2 |
| Female | 91.2 | 2.6 | 91.2 ± 2.6 |
| Disagree that both partners should contribute financially to the household (%) | |||
| Total | 4.5 | 1.3 | 4.5 ± 1.3 |
| Male | 4.9 | 2.0 | 4.9 ± 2 |
| Female | 4.1 | 1.8 | 4.1 ± 1.8 |
| Agree that men are generally better political leaders than women (%) | |||
| Total | 9.6 | 1.9 | 9.6 ± 1.9 |
| Male | 11.7 | 2.9 | 11.7 ± 2.9 |
| Female | 7.1 | 2.2 | 7.1 ± 2.2 |
| Disagree that men are generally better political leaders than women (%) | |||
| Total | 81.0 | 2.5 | 81 ± 2.5 |
| Male | 76.6 | 3.8 | 76.6 ± 3.8 |
| Female | 86.1 | 3.0 | 86.1 ± 3 |
| Belief that discrimination, of at least one type, occurs at some frequency (%) | |||
| Total | 82.9 | 2.4 | 82.9 ± 2.4 |
| Male | 79.2 | 3.7 | 79.2 ± 3.7 |
| Female | 87.2 | 3.0 | 87.2 ± 3 |
| 18-34 | 84.2 | 4.2 | 84.2 ± 4.2 |
| 35-64 | 82.8 | 3.6 | 82.8 ± 3.6 |
| 65+ | 81.3 | 5.0 | 81.3 ± 5 |
| Belief that discrimination, of any type, does not occur at any frequency (%) | |||
| Total | 17.1 | 2.4 | 17.1 ± 2.4 |
| Male | 20.8 | 3.7 | 20.8 ± 3.7 |
| Female | 12.8 | 3.0 | 12.8 ± 3 |
| 18-34 | 15.8 | 4.2 | 15.8 ± 4.2 |
| 35-64 | 17.2 | 3.6 | 17.2 ± 3.6 |
| 65+ | 18.7 | 5.0 | 18.7 ± 5 |
| Experienced discrimination or harassment in the past 5 years (%) | |||
| Total | 25.1 | 2.8 | 25.1 ± 2.8 |
| Male | 23.9 | 3.9 | 23.9 ± 3.9 |
| Female | 26.4 | 3.9 | 26.4 ± 3.9 |
| 18-34 | 28.9 | 5.1 | 28.9 ± 5.1 |
| 35-64 | 27.0 | 4.2 | 27 ± 4.2 |
| 65+ | 14.8 | 4.7 | 14.8 ± 4.7 |
| Experienced discrimination or harassment in the past 12 months (%) | |||
| Total | 15.6 | 2.3 | 15.6 ± 2.3 |
| Male | 15.5 | 3.3 | 15.5 ± 3.3 |
| Female | 15.7 | 3.3 | 15.7 ± 3.3 |
| 18-34 | 17.9 | 4.3 | 17.9 ± 4.3 |
| 35-64 | 16.8 | 3.6 | 16.8 ± 3.6 |
| 65+ | 9.3 | 3.8 | 9.3 ± 3.8 |
- Definitions:
Discrimination:This occurs when individuals are unfairly treated or harassed based on characteristics like their appearance, origin, beliefs, or other traits. This can result in being denied access to employment, housing, healthcare, education, and other services, as well as exposure to offensive comments or behaviours. Such treatment can make people feel unsafe, offended, or excluded from certain places or activities.
Educational Attainment:– Secondary level of education or less: comprising persons with no schooling, primary education, schools for children with special needs and persons who attained a secondary level education and have less than 2 ordinary level qualifications or equivalent. In the context of the ISCED classification, ‘low’ includes ISCED 0 to 2.
– Post-secondary level of education: comprising persons with a secondary level education and having 2 ordinary level qualifications or equivalent or more, and persons with a post-secondary level attainment who have obtained at least 1 intermediate or advanced level qualification or equivalent. In the context of the ISCED classification, ‘medium’ refers to ISCED 3 and 4.
– Tertiary level of education: comprising persons with a tertiary level education and with qualifications ranging from diploma to doctorate level. In the context of the ISCED classification, ‘high’ refers to ISCED 5 to 8.
Employment Status: Collected as “employed,” “unemployed,” or “inactive.” The “inactive” category includes individuals who are students and/or engaged in unpaid work experience, retired, unable to work due to illness or disability, or caring for the home and/or family.
Limitation: Determined based on respondents’ self-assessment, in which individuals classified themselves as “severely limited,” “limited but not severely,” or “not limited at all.” For the purposes of this article, the responses “severely limited” and “limited but not severely” are combined into a single category labelled “limited.” - Respondents were asked if they experienced discrimination or harassment due to ethnicity, skin colour, language, religion, sex, socio-economic status, age, disability or health status, migration status, geographical location or residence, marital and family status, sexual orientation or gender identity, political opinion, or other bases.
- The option of Do not know was also available for all questions but has been excluded from the tables presented due to small counts. For reporting purposes, the level of agreement in Table 1 is presented in two combined categories – Agree / Strongly agree and Disagree / Strongly disagree. The option of Undecided was also available for this question but has not been included. This approach is used to ensure reliable estimates due to small counts in some of the categories.
- The questionnaire used can be found here.
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