Swedes swing towards euro 'yes': poll

(STOCKHOLM) - Most Swedes are in favour of their country joining the euro, a opinion poll published Sunday suggested.

Of 1,000 respondents questioned, 47 percent said they supported Sweden signing up to the single currency, while 45 percent oppose such a move, said the Sifo Institute survey.

Eight percent said they were unsure about whether to ditch the Swedish kronor in favour of the euro.

Toivo Sjoeren, chief pollster at Sifo, told Sveriges Television that the recent weakening of the Swedish currency against the euro could be one factor behind the results.

The kronor has lost almost a quarter of its value against the single European currency since September 1.

"Another more long-term reason is that we have become familiar with using the euro when we're travelling in Europe," he said.

In a similar survey carried out by Sweden's national statistics agency in December, 47.5 percent of the 6,700 Swedes questioned said they would vote no in a referendum on joining the euro, while 37.5 precent backed the 'yes' side.

Sweden, a country of about nine million inhabitants, has been a European Union member since 1995, but rejected joining the eurozone in a referendum in September 2003.

This latest Sifo poll was carried out in Sweden between April 6 and April 8.