Seven out of 10 Greeks believe that their quality of life will be worse in 20 years, making them the most pessimistic of European Union citizens, along with the Germans, a new Eurobarometer survey shows.

A total of 67 percent of Greeks questioned in a recent poll by the European Commission’s statistics service said they would probably be worse off by 2028, compared to an EU average of 49 percent and just behind the Germans, who scored the highest marks for negativity with 68 percent envisaging grimmer days in the foreseeable future.

The Estonians and the Irish expressed the most optimism with 78 percent and 67 percent respectively, saying they believe that their lives would improve in the next 20 years.

Greeks are also the most pessimistic about the prospect of working in their older age, according to the poll which said 91 percent of respondents believe that retirement ages will rise in the future.