Many Swedes back adopting euro

A plurality of Swedes is in favor of ditching the kronor and adopting the euro as the nation's currency, a poll indicates.

The survey by the polling firm Novus on behalf of the Liberal Party was published in the Dagens Nyheter newspaper Monday. It indicated that 47 percent of Swedes backed a move to the euro with 44 percent against it, the Swedish news agency TT reported.

The poll showed male voters more strongly in favor of the euro with 50 percent in favor and 42 percent against, while the corresponding figures among women voters were 44-46 percent. The numbers presented a big change from the results of a 2003 referendum on adopting the euro, in which 56 percent voted to reject the idea while 42 percent were in favor, TT said.

Many members of two Swedish parties that favor adopting the euro, the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats, do not agree with their party leaders and continue to voice strong opposition to the currency in the new poll, the news agency said.

Novus said it interviewed 1,000 Swedes between May 5-12 for the poll.