Roundup: Europeans split on opinion toward national economy: poll

A newly-released Pew Research Center survey revealed big differences across Europe on economic sentiment, confirming again a deep economic divide between North and South European countries.

In the survey, conducted pre-Brexit, most Europeans in the south countries such as Greece, France and Spain, described their country's economic situation as bad; while most Swedes, Germans and Dutch said their economy was doing well.

Several years after the global financial crisis rattled national economies, European countries have been struggling to attain pre-recession levels. But, many Europeans feel their respective countries' economies remain weak.

Even before the Brexit vote caused economic turmoil, Europeans generally took a depressed view of the economy.

According to the findings from the survey, in seven of the 10 European countries surveyed, roughly half or less see their country's economic situation as good.

Greeks stand out as the least happy, with only 2 percent saying the Greek economy is doing well. Similarly, just 12 percent in France and 13 percent in Spain give their economy a positive rating.

Swedes and Germans, on the other hand, are the most confident in their respective economies among EU countries surveyed, with 76 percent in Sweden and 75 percent in Germany saying the economic situation is good. Roughly six in 10 (61 percent) in the Netherlands also express this view.

While there is still considerable economic gloom in Europe, sentiments have improved in several nations over the past few years, the survey showed.

Ratings for the German economy are significantly better today than they were in the midst of the global financial crisis in 2009, when 28 percent said the economy was good.

British and Polish views are much more positive than three years ago, and even though only a third of Italians rate their economy positively, this is much higher than the 3 percent who agreed in 2013.

In contrast, the public mood has remained glum in Spain, France and Greece in recent years.

According to the survey, those with lower incomes in the Europe tend to view the economy more negatively.

This is particularly true in the Netherlands, where 50 percent of those who make less than the median household income think their economy was good -- a full 26 percentage points lower than the sentiment among those who make more than the median income.

In Germany and the UK, those with higher incomes are more likely to view their economy positively (15 percent in both), and that difference is 14 percent in Poland.

In most countries, men and women have similar views of their country's economy. However, across several European nations, men are more likely than women to take an upbeat view when it comes to the national economy.

In Britain, 52 percent of men see the economic situation as good, whereas only 43 percent of British women feel the same.

Similarly, in Germany, France and Spain, there is an 8-point gender gap, with men feeling more positively about the country's economy than their female counterparts.

Meanwhile, the survey found ideology also plays a role in how the public saw their economy. Those who fall on the same end of the political spectrum as their country's governing party are more likely to think their economic situation is good.

In Hungary, where the right-wing Fidesz party controls parliament, 53 percent of those who identify as politically on the right feel that the Hungarian economy is robust, whereas only 24 percent of those who identify as politically on the left feel the same.

The survey was conducted in 16 countries from April 4 to May 29, 2016, before Britain's referendum to exit the EU. Endit