French Rival Greeks for Pessimism as Poll Shows World of Gloom

9/9/2014

By Rebecca Christie

The French have become almost as pessimistic as the Greeks as Europe struggles with a persistent lack of job prospects, according to a Pew Research Center poll that paints a gloomy picture of the world economy.

Forty-eight percent of French people surveyed said they expect the economic situation to deteriorate over the next 12 months, second only to the Greeks, with 53 percent, among the 44 nations polled. In Greece, Italy and Spain, more than 90 percent of respondents said the current situation is bad, a view held by 88 percent in France.

As President Francois Hollande struggles to lift the country out of its economic malaise, France faces the sputtering growth and high unemployment that has dogged countries across the euro zone since the crisis. The European Central Bank last week announced a new round of measures to jump-start activity, while at the same time postponing a fight with Germany over whether it should buy government bonds.

In the Pew Poll, Germans were among the most upbeat with 85 percent of respondents judging the current economic situation good, a rate of optimism shared by China and Vietnam. Germans also were the least anxious in the world about inflation, with only 23 percent expressing concern about rising prices, according to the poll.
Uneven Recovery

The rest of the world fell between the European extremes. Asian nations were generally more upbeat than counterparts in Latin America, the Middle East and elsewhere, according to the survey of 48,643 adults conducted from March 17 to June 5.

“Amid an uneven global economic recovery, publics around the world remain glum,” the Pew poll said. “In most nations, people say their country is heading in the wrong direction and most voice the view that economic conditions are bad.”

The most optimistic nations were China and Peru, where more than 75 percent of respondents thought things would get better in the next year. That view was shared by 45 percent in the U.K., the most upbeat of the advanced economies.

The mood has also improved most in the U.K., where 43 percent said things are good at the moment, compared with 15 percent last year. Germany and Russia saw gains of 10 percent and 11 percent respectively.

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