A majority of Cypriots are against the abolition of the 1 and 2 cent coins, according to figures released on Monday as part of the European Union’s ‘Eurobarometer’ surveys.

In total, 52 per cent of Cypriots said they do not support the abolition of the two coins, while 44 per cent said they did and four per cent said they were unsure.

This puts Cyprus in a group of just three Eurozone countries in which most of the public do not support the coins’ abolition, with Spain and Greece being the other two.

In Spain, 51 per cent of people were against the coins’ abolition and 47 per cent were in favour, while in Greece, 55 per cent were against the idea and 43 per cent were in favour.

At the other end of the scale, a whopping 85 per cent of people in Slovakia support the idea of abolishing the coins, while 84 per cent of people in Italy, 77 per cent of people in the Netherlands and 73 per cent of people in Estonia agreed.

Across the Eurozone’s 20 official members, a total of 61 per cent of people are in favour of abolishing the coins.

Prices have risen in the Eurozone by around 72 per cent since the single currency was introduced in 1999, meaning that it would take €1.72 today to buy what €1 would have bought then.

Since 2008, when Cyprus joined the Eurozone, prices have risen by around 40 per cent, meaning that it would take €1.40 today to buy what €1 would have bought then.

According to the same survey, Cypriots are less supportive of the euro as a concept than the Eurozone average, with 59 per cent of people on the island saying they think the euro has been a “good thing”, compared to 71 per cent overall.

Despite this, people in Cyprus said that using the euro has made it easier to compare prices and shop in different European Union countries, made it easier to do business in different EU countries, made travelling easier and less costly, and reduced banking charges when travelling in different EU countries at a greater rate than the rest of the Eurozone.

Exactly 89 per cent of people in Cyprus said the euro has made it easier to compare prices, compared to a Eurozone average of 81 per cent, while 82 per cent of people in Cyprus said the single currency has made it easier to do business in different EU countries, compared to a Eurozone average of 79 per cent.

On the matter of travelling, 61 per cent of people in Cyprus said the euro has made travelling easier and less costly, compared to a Eurozone average of 53 per cent.

People in Cyprus were also more supportive of the EU’s financial support for its member states during the Covid-19 pandemic, with 73 per cent viewing the aid favourably, compared to a Eurozone average of 68 per cent.