CYPRIOTS are more optimistic about the economy than they have been in at least four years.
According to a study carried out by the Cyprus College Centre of Applied Research and released yesterday, 32 per cent of the population expect the economy to improve within the next year.
But 29 per cent feared things would get worse while 32 per cent felt it would remain much the same.
Most optimistic are coastal residents — “probably because of the rise in tourism” — young people and those in well-paid positions. The report noted that the well-paid bracket’s opinion had probably been influenced by gains on the Stock Market.
“In spite of the degree of optimism for the economy, a significant percentage of the population, almost four in ten, said that they considered the gap between high and low salaries too large,” it continued.
The report said this opinion had mostly been expressed by older people, “probably because many older people are only given a basic government pension which is comparatively low.”
It also noted that most businessmen and mangers (usually highly paid positions) did not find salary differences too large, while more than half of the blue collar workers polled felt they were.
One in ten of the population, usually of high social status, said the difference between high and low salaries was too small.
More than half those asked (55 per cent), felt the government should do something to bridge the salary gap.
The report noted that this was a question usually asked to determine how happy people were with the government’s pay policies. “What should be noted is that while in the last four years support for the government was very high (78 per cent in 1995), there is a large decline today.”
Thirty-four per cent of the population lives comfortably on their income, 44 per cent said they managed just about to get by, while 22 per cent said they experienced difficulties.
The report said more families had said they “just got by” than in previous years, probably because they felt they were not sharing in the country’s relative prosperity.
There was also little support for higher taxes, with only two in ten Cypriots agreeing with new taxes, even if they were to be targeted at education and health.
But more than half those polled (74 per cent) opposed any cut in the defence levy.
The public also appears staunchly in favour of the Cost of Living Allowance (CoLA), with three in four in favour of the institution.
But what almost everyone agreed on, the report continued, was that civil servants should be paid less. More than seven in ten Cypriots think they are over-paid.
The research was carried out between July 1 and 20 this year.
The 606 subjects questioned were all over the age of 18 and were chosen randomly. The questions were asked by telephone.
