It’s official: Eurobarometer shows Greeks are the unhappiest people of Europe

The poor economic situation and general dissatisfaction make Greeks unhappy

The Eurobarometer, a series of public opinion surveys conducted on behalf of the European Commission, was released on Wednesday and shows that Greeks are not optimistic about the future. 60% of Greek respondents say they are not satisfied with their lives compared to the EU28 average of 19%. Furthermore, 83% of Greeks are not optimistic about the future, compared to the 32% average in the EU.

A staggering 92% of Greeks believe they were better off before. However, 70% of them are in favor of the common European currency and 80% in favor of the free movement of European citizens.

Over half of Greeks (52%) complain about their poor work status, while 70% believe that the next 12 months will be worse. The figure has increased by 18% compared to the Eurobarometer of spring 2015. 76% say their household economic situation is bad and 58% believe it will get worse in 2016.

97% of Greeks believe the county’s economy is bad with 70% expecting it to deteriorate in the coming 10 months. Compared to the spring figures, pessimism has increased by 24%. Moreover, 99% believe that the employment situation in Greece is bad.

Asked about the biggest problems facing the EU, 52% of participants pointed to immigration, 36% pointed to the economy and 55% said the unemployment rate was bad.

Moreover, 77% of respondents replied that things in Greece are going in the wrong direction (+28% compared to the corresponding findings of spring 2015), while the vast majority tend to have no confidence in the Greek government (82%) or in the EU (81%).