Three out of four Europeans say the euro’s a good thing

Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Spain have the highest approval rates within the eurozone.

The survey showed that fewer people still mentally convert to their former currency | Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images

A big majority of people in all 19 eurozone countries support the common euro currency and think it’s a good thing for the bloc, an annual Eurobarometer survey found — as first reported by Brussels Playbook.

Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Spain are the leading euro supporters, with 80 percent or more of respondents saying it’s a “good” thing for their country. Italy, Cyprus, Belgium and France are the least convinced.

Overall, all 19 eurozone countries have a majority in favour of the euro, the survey shows, with 64 percent of the roughly 17,000 people polled saying the euro is good for their nation.

Despite an ongoing row around Rome’s budget, support for the euro in Italy rose by 12 percentage points from a year earlier, with 57 percent of Italians now saying the euro is good for their country.

The survey also shows that fewer people still mentally convert to their former currency for both daily items and big-ticket purchases like homes and cars — though 15 percent still do. The euro was introduced in 1999, and became the official currency in 2002.

In Italy, 70 percent of respondents no longer convert euros back to the lira — up 4 points from last year. In France and Germany, 60 percent and 58 percent, respectively, have weaned themselves off their old francs and marks.

And for those who don’t know what to do with all those one- and two-cent coins, you’re not alone — 64 percent of respondents are in favor of abolishing them.

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