Majority of Europeans downbeat on euro - FT poll

LONDON, Jan 29 (Reuters) A majority of people in France, Germany, Spain and Italy feel the euro has hurt their national economies, according to a poll published in the Financial Times.

The FT-Harris survey found that more than half of citizens quizzed in the big euro zone countries said they prefer using their former currency, the newspaper reported today.

In France, Italy and Spain, more than two-thirds of people questioned said they thought the single currency had had a ''negative impact'' on their economy, according to the FT.

More than half felt this way in Germany.

However, a greater number of citizens in Germany, Italy and Spain felt the euro had had a positive impact on the EU economy as a whole than a negative effect, the newspaper said.

The French position was the reverse.

The survey also found that most adults in the largest European countries thought migration had lowered wages and only a quarter were positive on the accession this year of Bulgaria and Romania into the European Union, the FT reported.

The poll questioned 5,314 adults in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Britain -- not a member of the euro zone. It was conducted between January 10 and 22, the newspaper said.

The euro zone was enlarged to 13 members at the start of 2007 when Slovenia became the first of the 10 countries which joined the European Union in 2004 to adopt its single currency.

Reuters AKJ GC0914