Nearly one in four Maltese adolescents struggle with life satisfaction, report finds

Young people in Malta are grappling with low levels of well-being, according to a new report.

The Good Childhood Report 2024, published by The Children’s Society, highlights alarming trends in youth life satisfaction across Europe, with Malta ranking as one of the lowest. 

The report revealed that 23.6 per cent of 15-year-olds in Malta are dissatisfied with their lives, placing the country just behind the UK (25.2 per cent) and Poland (24.4 per cent). This means nearly one in four Maltese adolescents are experiencing low life satisfaction.

On a broader European scale, the study found that, on average, 16.6 per cent of young people report dissatisfaction with their lives. Nordic countries such as Finland and Denmark performed significantly better, with only 10.8 per cent and 11.3 per cent of youth respectively indicating low life satisfaction. The Netherlands emerged as a standout, boasting the lowest rate of dissatisfied young people at just 6.7 per cent. 

The study used data from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), along with national and longitudinal surveys, to measure youth satisfaction levels.

While the reasons for dissatisfaction were not specified in the report, it points to various factors that could contribute, including academic pressure, social inequality, and limited access to mental health resources.