With less than six months to go before the euro replaces the lira, previously upbeat Italians are turning against the currency, according to a survey published today.
In a poll conducted last week, 53 per cent of those questioned said they would rather stick with the lira than switch to the euro, set to become Italy's currency from January 1, 2002.
The survey of 1,000 people was conducted by Italy's Datamedia research group and is due to be published in magazines later this week.
Of those polled, only 37 per cent said they thought the European single currency could bring benefits and a mere one in 10 thought they would know how to fill out a cheque in euros.
The latest findings mark a turnaround from previous surveys that have generally revealed a positive Italian opinion of the new money.