According to the results of a Eurobarometer survey conducted in March, the self-perceived level of information with regard to the adoption of the euro has improved almost twofold in the space of seven months.
About 71 per cent of the population feel well or very well informed about the euro changeover, compared to a rate of 38 per cent when the survey was last conducted in September last year.
The Eurobarometer survey was carried out between 26 and 30 March among 11,000 randomly-selected residents aged 15 years and above in the 11 new EU member states not yet using the euro as their legal tender.
The report notes that this self-perceived level of knowledge does not necessarily mean a real level of knowledge. While the vast majority of Maltese who participated in the survey said they were well informed, only a minority could correctly say how many countries form part of the eurozone (28 per cent). The same goes for the level knowledge with regard to euro banknotes – only 32 per cent knew that all banknotes are the same throughout the eurozone. On the other hand, 63 per cent knew coins are different.
On a negative note, only 39 per cent of Maltese participants in the survey said they knew that euro adoption is mandatory. A total of 53 per cent thought it is not mandatory while eight per cent replied “don’t know”.
Positively, however, there was an increase in the number of people who have seen and used euro notes or coins.
It is interesting to note that 97 per cent of respondents said that they were happy with the level of information on the euro being given in schools, while another 98 per cent said they were happy with the television campaign.
During the past seven months, there was a good 13 per cent increase in the number of people who believed that the introduction of the euro will be beneficial for Malta. However, the overall rate, at 53 per cent, is still very low, particularly when compared to the perception in other new EU member states which have not yet adopted the single currency.
Interestingly, Maltese citizens feel that the euro will be more beneficial on a personal level than on a national level, with 54 per cent of respondents claiming that they believed the euro would be beneficial for them on a personal level.
More importantly, support for the euro has increased substantially – only 33 per cent claimed that the majority of people they knew are against the introduction of the euro. This rate has gone down by nine per cent since September 2006.