ATHENS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua)- - Greeks will greet the New Year with pessimism over the course of the national economy and their personal finances, according to an opinion poll published on Wednesday.
Forty-seven percent of respondents to a survey conducted by Interview polling firm for Vergina TV said they expected the situation in 2019 to become tougher, while another 35 percent said that life for them will be as difficult as in 2018.
Only 14 percent expressed optimism that their financial standing will improve next year.
Although Greece exited the harsh bailout programs after eight years this August, 63 percent of respondents expected the country to remain under strict surveillance for many years, and two in ten Greeks believed that a fourth bailout program will be signed soon.
According to the same survey, if general elections were held this December, the main opposition conservative New Democracy party would win, garnering 31.5 percent of the vote, while the ruling radical leftist Syriza would get 22.4 percent.
The far-right Chryssi Avghi (Golden Dawn) party would rank third with 6.5 percent of the vote, and the centre-left Movement for Change and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) would follow with 6.3 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively.
The opinion poll was carried out between Nov. 30 and Dec. 2 on a sample of 1,000 voters.
