Hitting record highs: unpacking support for the euro

Prepared by Ferdinand Dreher, Niklas Jütting and Hanni Schölermann

More than a quarter of a century after its introduction, the euro is enjoying record support among euro area citizens. Introduced in 1999 and brought into full circulation in 2002, the euro has become one of the most tangible symbols of European integration and is firmly ingrained in citizens’ daily lives. This is reflected in the results of the European Commission’s latest Standard Eurobarometer survey (2025), which showed that 83% of euro area respondents are in favour of the single currency – an all-time high, following a steady rise in support since the mid-2010s (Chart A).

Chart A

Support for the euro in the euro area

(percentages)

Support for the euro is now both high and widespread, with cross-country differences having narrowed significantly. In nearly all euro area countries, support for the euro has increased in the 2020s compared with the previous two decades, especially in countries with lower initial approval rates (Chart B). Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Portugal and Spain have recorded increases of around 20 percentage points in recent years. In Cyprus, Portugal and Spain, this reflects a recovery in confidence in the single currency following the sovereign debt crisis. Support in Latvia and Lithuania rose around the time when these countries adopted the euro in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Even in countries where approval rates were already high, such as Slovenia, Ireland and Luxembourg, support has climbed from around 80% to close to 90%.

Chart B

Support for the euro by country

(percentages)

The increase in popular support for the euro is similarly broad-based across sociodemographic groups, with somewhat larger increases among groups with historically slightly lower support. A breakdown by age, gender and education leaving age reveals that average support has risen in almost all groups during the 2020s compared with the previous two decades (Chart C).^[1] This contrasts with the relatively limited change that occurred between the 2000s and the 2010s. The strongest increases can be seen among respondents who completed their full-time education before the age of 16, those aged 55 and above, and women.^[2] While these groups historically had lower levels of support, the strong increase in the 2020s has helped reduce the gap with the groups that have consistently shown the highest support, namely respondents under the age of 25, those who left full-time education at the age of 20 or above – which includes respondents who have completed tertiary education – and men. Notably, between 2000 and 2024, support for the euro among women rose from 61% to 78%, all but closing the prior gap in support levels among men and women.

Chart C

Support for the euro by sociodemographic group

(percentages)

Research suggests that attitudes toward the euro may increasingly reflect its practical benefits rather than its symbolic meaning. For example, during the global financial crisis and the sovereign debt crisis, citizens appear to have focused more on the euro’s practical benefits rather than its symbolic meaning (Hobolt and Wratil, 2015). Likewise, in times of external crises – such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the war in Ukraine – utilitarian evaluations may have again become more prevalent. In addition, relatively low unemployment in recent years and a quick recovery in labour markets after the pandemic may have reinforced confidence in the single currency, consistent with earlier studies which find that support for the euro is positively correlated with household income and employment prospects (Bergbauer et al., 2020; Roth et al., 2019).

Additional survey evidence corroborates that support for the euro is linked to the extent to which it provides tangible benefits to citizens. Chart D shows a clear positive correlation: sociodemographic groups that report experiencing more benefits from the euro – such as easier price comparisons, smoother business, or cheaper travel and banking – are also more likely to view the euro as “a good thing” for the EU (European Commission, 2024).^[3] This pattern is consistent across all groups.^[4] The ease of comparing prices and of doing business were the most reported benefits. Underlying demographic patterns further highlight how different groups value different aspects of the euro. Younger generations, for instance, particularly appreciate the euro as a facilitator of travel, whereas people aged 40-54 place greater value on the euro’s role in facilitating price comparisons and business. The share of respondents who report experiencing these benefits has increased over time: between 2007 and 2024 it rose from 66% to 81% for easier price comparisons, from 30% to 48% for reduced banking charges, and from 48% to 53% for easier or cheaper travel.^[5]

Chart D

Support for and perceived benefits of the euro by sociodemographic group

(percentages)

Finally, the broad-based support for the euro shows that the euro has weathered the recent pandemic and inflation episodes well, and that 25 years after its introduction, euro area citizens have fully embraced the single currency. Indeed, in the European Commission’s Flash Eurobarometer (2024), the majority of respondents stated that the euro contributes to making them feel European. As with the euro’s economic benefits, this sense of shared identity reinforces support for the common currency (Chart D) and strengthens Europe’s overall resilience.

To maintain this high level of support in a changing world, the euro must continue to deliver tangible benefits. It is vital for Europe to foster its single market and strengthen its geopolitical, economic and institutional foundations – all of which will reinforce the euro’s global role. At the same time, accelerating work on the digital euro while continuing to ensure that cash remains widely available will provide citizens with continued access to a safe and reliable public means of payment, also in the digital age.

References

Bergbauer, S., Hernborg, N., Jamet, J.F. and Persson, E. (2020), “The reputation of the euro and the European Central Bank: interlinked or disconnected?”, Journal of European Public Policy, Vol. 27, No 8, pp. 1178-1194.

European Commission (2025), Standard Eurobarometer 103 – Spring 2025.

European Commission (2024), Flash Eurobarometer 553 – The euro area.

Hobolt, S.B. and Wratil, C. (2015), “Public opinion and the crisis: the dynamics of support for the euro,” Journal of European Public Policy, Vol. 22, No 2, pp. 238-256.

Roth, F., Baake, E., Jonung, L. and Nowak-Lehmann, F. (2019), “Revisiting Public Support for the Euro, 1999-2017: Accounting for the crisis and the recovery”, Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol. 57, No 6, pp. 1261–1273.