Six in ten Greeks view bailouts as "necessary evil": survey

ATHENS, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Eight years into the acute debt crisis which brought Greece at the brink of default, as the country is getting closer to the exit from international bailouts this summer, six in ten Greeks view the painful programs as a "necessary evil", according to a survey by local think tank Dianeosis.

Despite the numerous general strikes and protests against austerity and reforms since 2010, the majority of Greeks today acknowledge the necessity of the three bailouts to avoid the worst, showed a poll conducted by polling firm MRB Hellas in January and February this year, "Eleftheros Typos" (Free Press) newspaper reported on Saturday.

At the same time seven in ten respondents said that lenders somehow exploited Greece through the bailouts.

Greeks appear divided over whether Greece's EU membership has benefited the country.

The 68 percent of the 1,250 participants in the nationwide survey responded that Greece gained from its participation in the EU. At the same time the 57 percent said that the decision to join the euro zone was a mistake.

One in four of the respondents said that they would prefer a return to the national currency.

As the ailing economy returns to growth and normality, eight in ten Greeks believe that Greece will still be a member of the EU and the euro zone in ten years. Enditem