The knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of the public are of vital importance in establishing and ensuring the prudent use of antimicrobials. With this in mind, the European Commission has undertaken a series of surveys among the general public to monitor their levels of usage and knowledge about antibiotics.

The first survey, undertaken for the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers, was conducted in 2010 (SEB338). Two further surveys were then carried out in 2013 (SEB407) and 2016 (SEB445). The survey, carried out in 2018 (SEB478), thus represents the fourth in the series and tracks progress on public use of and knowledge about antibiotics.

The most recent Eurobarometer survey (SEB522) held in Malta in 2022. This sheds some spotlight on Malta.

Antibiotic use reached a record low in 2021: 23% of Europeans took antibiotics in oral form, the lowest since 2009. However, this varies from 42% in Malta to 15% in Sweden and Germany.

Around 8% of antibiotics were taken without a prescription. A very large proportion of Europeans have taken antibiotics without justification (i.e. for viral infections or symptoms only) or for illnesses like pneumonia or bronchitis, which need a test to confirm the exact cause, and only half of respondents know that antibiotics are ineffective against viruses. People are most likely to take antibiotics for a urinary tract infection (15%), a sore throat (13%), bronchitis (12%), a cold (11%), flu (10%), fever (10%) or COVID-19 (9%).