OREANDA-NEWS. According to the data of a representative public survey conducted at the end of January–beginning of February, 68 per cent of Lithuania’s residents assess the euro adoption either positively or very positively. Compared to December of last year, support for the euro increased by 8 percentage points. The percentage of those who assess the euro sceptically decreased from 30 to 26 per cent.

Support for the euro increased among older people. The share of people in the 50–59 age group assessing the euro adoption either positively or very positively increased from 50 to 72 per cent, while among residents aged 60–99 — from 55 to 60 per cent.

People who assessed the euro positively indicated the following reasons for such an assessment: the eliminated currency exchange expenses, tighter ties and common future with Europe, easier settlements, benefit for the economy, cheaper loans. The most common argument among those who assessed it sceptically: unrest due to changes in prices, loss of national currency, difficult adaptation to new prices, fears for the stability of the European Union and the euro. 

At the end of January–beginning of February the population’s informativeness on the euro adoption remained high — 92 per cent of respondents felt either very well or well informed. Compared to the earlier survey, the population’s knowledge of euro banknote security features significantly improved. The percentage of residents able to name at least one banknote security feature increased by 22 p.p. to 84 per cent. The most commonly indicated aforementioned security features: watermark, crisp paper, the raised print on the banknote, hologram.

After the euro adoption, the number of residents who associate the single currency with the hope for higher wages and larger social benefits increased. Within slightly more than a month, those who believe that the adoption of the euro would lead to increased wages grew by 6 p.p. to 36 per cent; those claiming the opposite decreased to 9 per cent. More than every fourth hope for an increase in social benefits, while every tenth expect a decrease.

Most (97%) of those surveyed in Lithuania knew that litas are exchanged into euro free of charge, 95 per cent of people indicated that they know the official litas and euro exchange rate.

The public opinion on the euro survey was performed on 19 January–10 February 2015, using the Omnibus method. 1,005 people in Lithuania, aged from 18 y.o., were surveyed. The survey was conducted by the sociological research company BERENT Research Baltic.