Most Greeks are pessimistic on the country's economic prospects and expect the crisis to last more than two years, an opinion poll showed today.
A survey by polling agency Metron Analysis for newspaper Eleftheros Typos, conducted nationwide from February 18th to March 9th, showed that 66.5 per cent of Greeks believe the country's fiscal crisis will last more than two years.
The latest poll shows declining support for austerity measures imposed by the ruling socialists to bring Greece out of a debt crisis shaking the euro.
"It's the first time such a negative sentiment is recorded," the conservative paper said.
Based on the poll, 67.6 per cent of respondents feel the socialist government's package of austerity measures, including public sector pay cuts and higher VAT rates, are unfair with 56 per cent saying they are necessary.
The survey showed that 64.4 per cent were not willing to make sacrifices to cope with the €4.8 billion austerity package.
Greece is targeting a fiscal adjustment of four percentage points to shrink its budget gap to 8.7 per cent of GDP this year, with its €240 billion economy seen contracting by 2 per cent, based on recent central bank projections.
Greece raised the stakes yesterday in its quest for EU help to tackle the debt crisis, saying it cannot deliver promised deficit cuts if borrowing costs stay high and that it may have to turn to the IMF.
On the issue of aid to deal with the debt crisis, the poll showed 72 per cent thinks Greece will need help from the European Union.
Prime minister George Papandreou remained the most popular Greek political leader with a 49 per cent approval rate and his socialist party way ahead of the conservative opposition New Democracy, which many Greeks blame for the debt crisis.
Overall, 86.4 per cent said they were pessimistic on the country's economic course but only 27.7 per cent believed it will go bankrupt.
Reuters