VALLETTA, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Over a third of Malta's population feel the pinch of rising costs of goods and services, and an almost equal proportion has had to shelve holiday plans for financial reasons, said a survey published on Thursday.

       Conducted by the auditing firm EY, the survey found that inflation was forcing consumers at all income levels to change their shopping habits. People are shopping less frequently for non-essentials, such as clothing and entertainment, to remain able to afford fuel and fresh food, where there are fewer alternatives.

       The categories most affected are holiday travel and entertainment; beauty and cosmetics; and clothing and shoes.

       Gilbert Guillaumier, an associate partner at EY Malta, said the research showed that financial concerns were more pronounced in the older population. Thirty-seven percent of the retirement-age population expect to be worse off financially in the next 12 months compared to 17 percent in the 18 to 40 age group.

       The "EY Future Consumer Survey Malta" was carried out in May across a stratified random sample of 835 participants.

       The survey showed that in a time of rising inflation and global turmoil, "people are fundamentally rethinking how they live their lives and asking themselves what relationship they really want with consumerism and its values," he said.

       Eurostat, the European Union's (EU) statistical arm, said on Wednesday that Malta's 5.4 percent annual inflation rate was among the lowest in the EU in April.