Greeks are the most pessimistic people in the eurozone, as seven in 10 believe that their country is going in the wrong direction, according to a survey conducted on behalf of the European Union and which was published yesterday.

The percentage of people who feel this concern about the course that Greece is taking (69 percent) is up 14 percent over last year. The Eurobarometer survey was conducted in October and November, before the recent riots.

No country in the eurozone or the first 15 members of the EU registers such a high rate of concern. The Hungarians are the most pessimistic in the 27-member block.

On average 49 percent of EU citizens expressed unhappiness about the current state of affairs in Europe.

Economic concerns appear to worry Greeks most, as 88 percent believe that the country’s economy is in worse shape than that of other EU countries and 92 percent expect things to get worse over the next 12 months. Half of the 1,000 respondents said that the economy in general is one of the basic problems the country has to tackle.