Distrust thy neighbour

  The Maltese trust each other much less than citizens of many other developed countries, according to a study on social cohesion. Malta was ranked in the bottom tier for the extent to which people trust each other in the study by the Bertelsmann Stiftung and Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. The countries studied were all the EU members, except Croatia, and seven Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states: Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the US. They were assessed on nine criteria based on social relations, connectedness and focus on the common good. For each countries were ranked in one of five tiers. Malta was ranked in the fourth tier for overall social cohesion, down from the second tier in 2008. Social cohesion is defined as the way members of a community live and work together. “It is crucial for any society’s future and has a profound impact on a person’s perceived well-being. More cohesion equals more life satisfaction,” Liz Mohn, vice-chair of the Bertelsmann Foundation’s executive board, said. Breaking down the results further, Malta was placed in the fourth tier for acceptance of diversity, up from the bottom...