the Irish are among the most in favour of the single currency, but also among the most ignorant about it, a new survey shows. The Eurobarometer poll, carried out across the European Union (EU), also reveals that Irish people are, apart from the British, the worst linguists in the EU, and that a majority do not feel European.

The survey says 75 per cent of people in the Republic are in favour of the euro - compared with 88 per cent in Italy, 79 per cent in Luxembourg and the Netherlands, and 36 per cent in Britain. The EU average is 64 per cent.

But in a simple quiz about the currency, the Irish fared badly, coming 12th out of 15. Asked questions such as whether the euro meant the creation of a European Central Bank, whether all countries in the EU were taking part, and whether euro-zone countries would still use their own currencies, Irish respondents scored only 56 per cent.

The Dutch, Finns and Luxembourgers all scored over 70 per cent, while only the Spanish, British and Portuguese came out worse than the Irish.

Asked whether they can speak a language other than their mother tongue, people in the Republic proved worst in the EU, apart from the British. While 98 per cent of Luxembourgers, 86 per cent of Dutch, and a majority of Danes, Swedes, Belgians, Austrians, Finns and Germans can speak a foreign language, only 31 per cent of Irish people can. Just 21 per cent of Britons can.

The Republic tops the poll in support for EU membership, with 79 per cent approval compared to 75 per cent in the Netherlands, 68 per cent in Italy, 52 per cent in France, 37 per cent in Britain and 35 per cent in Sweden.

But despite such loyalty to the EU, the survey shows that a majority of those polled in the Republic feel "Irish only" rather than "Irish and European" or "European and Irish" or "European only". Just 5 per cent of respondents said they felt either "only European" or "European and Irish".

Citizens in Luxembourg, Italy, France, Spain and the Netherlands topped the list of countries where people feel a sense of European identity.

On the issue of whether the European Parliament (EP) should be more powerful, barely one third of people in the Republic were in favour. The only country with a lower proportion of citizens desiring more power for the parliament was Britain, with 28 per cent.

This compared to 72 per cent of Greeks, 61 per cent of Italians, 58 per cent of Portuguese and 51 per cent of Dutch, who wanted a more powerful EP.

The survey also quizzed EU citizens about their primary source for news; the results undermine the perception that Irish people read newspapers more than most. Just 47 per cent of those polled in the Republic said they read a newspaper every day, compared to 74 per cent in Sweden, 68 per cent in Finland, and 50 per cent in Britain.