More than eight in 10 Irish consumers believe prices of goods have risen as a result of the euro, new research from Amárach Consulting has found.

Those perceiving price increases as being most significant and widespread included the elderly, people on low incomes and farmers. Some 1,000 adults were interviewed last month about the impact of the new currency and the findings are published in a broader report, which examines trends in pricing for businesses and consumers. Between 1990 and 2001, average consumer prices rose by a cumulative total of 35 per cent, the report states. "This average masks extraordinary divergences in pricing trends among different sectors," Mr Gerard O'Neill of Amárach Consulting said.

In the 11-year period, the price of potatoes has more than doubled. Rent for residential property has increased by 96 per cent while cigarettes and medical fees have gone up by 95 per cent. In another measure of consumer satisfaction published yesterday, the supermarket sector outperformed the banking and mobile phone sectors, with an overall satisfaction rating of 76 per cent.

SuperValu improved its performance by two index points to 77 per cent, making it the best performing Irish company in the European Customer Satisfaction Index.

Both Dunnes Stores and Tesco were unchanged with scores of 76 and 69 respectively.