60% of the Irish public still think the economy is in bad shape.
That is according to a Eurobarometer survey carried out in November last year, which shows that women and the working class are much more likely to say the economy is heading in the wrong direction. Men and the upper class are more likely to say it is improving.
Professor Richard Sinnott helped to carry out the study. He says that despite almost two-thirds of the public saying the economy is yet to recover - with 20% saying it is in a 'very bad' state - that is much improved on the depths of the crisis.
The study also found that 53% of Irish people say they have a ‘positive’ image of the EU - the highest percentage since 2009, and an increase of 12 points since spring 2014.
16% of respondents said they had a negative view of the EU, with 29% have a neutral image.
However the study also found that 61% of Irish people say they have difficulty in paying their bills from ‘time to time’ or ‘most of the time’ - well above the EU average of 37%.
Image: European Commission
The survey did pick up some optimism about the future state of the economy. 51% said Ireland is going in the right direction - up almost 10% on the previous year, and the highest number of people making that statement since the Celtic Tiger days back in March of 2006.
