More than 40 per cent of people believe that Ireland's economic performance will improve within the single currency, according to the latest Irish Times/MRBI poll.

The high level of confidence in the new currency is spread across social classes but is higher among men than women.

Overall, 41 per cent of people believe that monetary union will improve our performance with 24 per cent believing it will damage it. Some 25 per cent believe EMU will make no difference and 10 per cent had no opinion.

The poll was conducted among a national quota sample of 1,000 electors at 100 sampling points throughout every constituency in the State last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Optimism about the single currency is more prevalent among men at 46 per cent than women at 36 per cent and among Fianna Fail supporters.

Among social classes, upper income and professional ABC1 workers were most positive at 45 per cent, with farmers closely behind at 41 per cent while lower income and unemployed people were least positive at 38 per cent.

There was little difference among social classes among those who believed that it would harm our economic performance although more women at 27 per cent, than men at 20 per cent believed this to be the case.

There were few regional differences, although Munster people are less positive than those from other parts of the country - 36 per cent, compared with 42 per cent in Dublin and 46 per cent in the rest of Leinster.

Younger people were also more inclined to view monetary union positively than older age groups. Among 18 to 24-year-olds 48 per cent believed economic performance would improve, falling to 35 per cent in the 50 to 64 age group.