Euro unpopular with Italians

Six out of ten Italians would go back to the lira if they could, and nine out of ten feel poorer since the introduction of the euro, according to a survey by research institute Demoskopea, which interviewed 626 people nationwide. Seventy-one per cent of interviewees said they had made sacrifices since the introduction of the single currency in January 2002. The expenses on which most claimed to have cut back were clothing, food shopping, holidays, household appliances, going out, and sporting activities. Ninety-four per cent of interviewees felt their spending power had diminished since the new currency was introduced, and 90 per cent believed prices had doubled. Over half said they still had to convert prices into lire when shopping, compared with 24 per cent who said they thought entirely in euro.