Every year, each pillar is requested to submit a research project. The below are the current projects each pillar is working on
The first 1000 days of life: Early Childhood Poverty in Malta & Gozo
This research study will focus on the first 3 years of children’s life, seeking to map demographic and socio-economic factors, institutional and service-level barriers, and the lived realities of early childhood poverty in Malta. A mixed-methods approach will be adopted.
The study aims to provide the first integrated socio-spatial map of early childhood poverty and services in Malta, identifying geographical and demographic disparities in poverty risk among young children. It will seek to Reveal structural and systemic barriers in the provision of services (identifying the availability, accessibility, and adequacy of services targeting these children and their families) and evaluate how systemic structures enable or constrain effective early intervention. Finally, the study intends to explore gaps in existing data and gather qualitative insights from affected families and service providers.
Lived Experiences & Perceptions of Poverty
This research investigates the lived realities and perceptions of poverty among young people in Malta & Gozo, recognising youth as key agents in conceptualising its meaning and impact. Drawing on qualitative methods, the study integrates two complementary research projects that foreground young people’s voices in shaping understandings of poverty.
The research aims to generate a nuanced sociological account of the lived experiences of poverty among young persons aged 18-30, by (i) employing in-depth phenomenological interviews to uncover and understand the personal, lived experiences of deprivation, and (ii) utilise participant-created, audiovisual “reels” and focus group discussions to investigate how young people conceptualise and propose solutions to poverty. Combining experiential narratives with youth-led representations, the study critically examines both the personal and social dimensions of deprivation, while identifying how structural and systemic conditions frame young people’s opportunities and constraints.
In doing so, the study will contribute new empirical evidence that situates youth as knowledge producers in the discourse on poverty. By integrating narrative and visual methods, it will offer a comprehensive and multi-layered understanding of youth poverty in Malta, establishing an evidence base that can inform more participatory and effective policies and interventions.
Precarious Work & Resilience: Food Couriers in Malta
The study explores the lived experiences of third-country national food couriers in Malta & Gozo, revealing the complex intersection of precarious labour, migration, and poverty. These workers navigate insecure employment and a high cost of living, making them a crucial case for understanding modern vulnerabilities in Malta’s labor market. Through a qualitative approach, the research seeks to uncover not only the hardships couriers encounter in making ends meet, but also the coping strategies and forms of resilience that shape their everyday lives.
The research aims to uncover how precarious employment structures and migration status impact workers’ material well-being, sense of agency, and capacity to adapt. Using in-depth interviews, the study will generate insights into both the constraints imposed by systemic labour-market inequalities and the protective factors that enable workers to navigate these pressures. In doing so, it will critically interrogate the interplay between structural disadvantage and individual resilience.
Using couriers’ narratives to inform broader poverty and resilience frameworks, this study provides a multi-layered account of precarious work in Malta. This evidence will contribute to a deeper sociological understanding of the lived realities of migrant labour, and offers valuable insights for policymaking, workers protections, and the design of equitable employment practices.
Loneliness as Poverty: The Experiences of Older Persons in Residential Care Homes
Loneliness among older persons in residential care homes is a serious issue that not only impacts emotional well-being but also constitutes a form of social and emotional poverty.
This study will explore and seek to understand how older persons in Maltese residential care homes experience loneliness as a form of social and emotional poverty, and to identify the factors that shape their well-being in these settings.
The aim is to understand how older persons in Maltese residential care homes experience loneliness as social and emotional deprivation, considering both individual and collective perspectives. The focus is on assessing available support systems, identifying barriers to meaningful relationships, and examining how institutional routines and technology impact social well-being, with the goal of improving care practices based on residents’ lived experiences.
This study will adopt a qualitative research approach, utilising in-depth, face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions with older person residents from all 39 residential care homes in Malta.