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Italians are the most fearful population in the entire Eurozone when it comes to their finances. This is at least what emerges from the new Eurobarometer survey, published by the European Commission in December 2025. No one is more afraid than Italians that inflation will rise again next year; and no one is as pessimistic about earnings in 2026, as nearly one in four thinks they will decline, while only one in ten believes they will increase.

The survey also focuses on the relationship with the single currency. It’s not entirely true that Italians are Eurosceptic, given that about two-thirds consider the euro a positive factor for their country. However, their enthusiasm is certainly lower than in most other countries that have adopted it.

In 2026, earnings will be lower and prices will rise more

One of the contextual questions pollsters asked before addressing the single currency concerns household income. In just over a thousand phone calls to a representative sample of Italian citizens, 28% reported earning less than the previous year. This is the second-highest percentage overall among the countries surveyed, second only to Greece at 31%.

In short, more than one in four people say they are in a worse financial situation. And perhaps even more significant is the number of people who say they are better off: only 10% say their income is higher than the previous year. This is the lowest figure in the entire Eurozone, with Ireland in second-to-last place at 16%, compared to the European average of 22%.

The situation remains unchanged when it comes to future expectations. Nearly one in four Italians, 23%, expects to end up with a lower income. This percentage is in line with the Greek figure and well above the European average of 14%. Only 11% expect to earn more. In this case, the gap is even wider: the second most pessimistic country is Finland, where 20% of residents still expect a higher income, almost double that of Italy.

The same negative expectations are also reflected in inflation, or rather, prices. After peaking in 2022-2023, prices have slowed significantly over the past two years. But Italians continue to fear a new rise in inflation. In fact, 84% of respondents believe it will be higher than this year’s. This is a very high percentage: the European average is 50%.

Italians are lukewarm towards the euro: almost 30% consider it a bad thing.

The central section of the survey is dedicated to the relationship with the euro. More than twenty years after its introduction, Italians have now widely accepted the single currency, although not everyone is convinced it is a good thing.

In reality, “only” 61% believe it is a “positive thing” for Italy. The European average in this case is 70%. The most fervent supporters of the euro are the Finns with 87%, followed by the Irish with 84%. On the other hand, 29% of Italians believe the single currency is harmful to their country. Leading the Eurosceptics are Croatians with 51% (Croatia only adopted the euro in 2023), while essentially on par with Italy are Cyprus (29%), Greece, the Netherlands (28%), and Spain (27%). The average is 22%.

Regarding symbolic aspects, only 36% of Italians feel “more European” thanks to the euro, compared to an average of 53%. And even in practical terms, enthusiasm is less pronounced. 71% of Italians believe the single currency has made it easier to compare prices and make purchases across countries, including online, while for Europeans the percentage is 81%. Has the single currency made travel easier and cheaper? Only 44% of Italians agree. In this case, the overall average is 54%.

Support for the PNRR and request for collaboration on the economy

Finally, there are two areas in which Italian citizens appear, in a certain sense, more pro-European than others. The first concerns the issue of coordination between EU governments on economic and budgetary policies. A full 82% believe greater cohesion and coordination is necessary, while only 4% say greater autonomy is needed. European averages point in the same direction, but are less extreme: 66% favor greater coordination, 12% oppose it.

The second area in which Italians are decidedly favorable towards the EU concerns the support funds provided after Covid. Specifically, for Italy — the largest debtor overall — the PNRR. 82% believe these measures have been positive, compared to the European average of 67%.

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