Poll shows grass not always greener in EU

You might envy the cafés of Paris, the London theater district or the delicious cuisine of Italy - but residents of Western Europe say life isn't everything it's cracked up to be.

A new survey out Oct. 8 finds that more than one Western European in two believes his country leaves a lot to be desired, and that the general situation in his homeland is "pretty bad."

Unhappiness with the euro single currency, fears over crime and security, and worries about unemployment and the economy led 56 percent of those polled to say life was not so great at home.

That figure was up from 51 percent in the previous AFP-IPSOS poll three months ago. Both surveys questioned residents of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The new results showed the percentage of those who believe things at home are "fairly good" was down three points to 36 percent, with 8 percent declining to respond.

Pessimism jumped highest in Italy, where plans by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing government to make it easier to fire workers have brought hundreds of thousands onto the streets to protest in recent months.

The poll found 66 percent of Italians thought the country's situation was fairly bad, up a whopping 22 points since the last survey.

In Britain, dissatisfaction was up nine points to 49 percent, while in Spain unhappiness crept up three points to 42 percent. But optimists gained ground in France (up three to 45 percent) and Germany (up two to 25 percent).

The euro currency, launched this year to much fanfare as a symbol of a new and united Europe, has dropped dramatically in popularity, the poll found.

Only 55 percent of respondents were favorably disposed to the Euro, down from 62 percent in the last poll, while the number with a negative attitude leapt from 34 percent to 43 percent.

When it comes to all-round economic satisfaction, Western Europeans again were decidedly more unhappy than three months ago, with only 32 percent saying they had confidence in the economy - down nine points since the last poll.

Sixty-five percent of respondents, or 9 percentage points more than the previous survey, said they had serious concerns about the economy.

Those increases were noted in all five countries, but Italy again topped the unhappiness table, with only 65 percent favoring the euro - down 14 points.

In Spain that figure fell 11 points to 66 percent, and in France the drop was four points to 62 percent.

Across Western Europe, crime and security remained the number one concern although unemployment was a close second. Terrorism was the number three worry on the continent.

There was one good piece of news for Europe's political leaders, however: Public satisfaction with their work was stable at 41 percent.

The AFP-IPSOS poll surveyed around 1,000 people in each nation.