Greeks Still Gloomy About Economic Outlook

The far-left Syriza party won Greece's general election on Sunday and formed a governing coalition with the centre-right Independent Greeks. Led by Alexis Tsipras, Syriza has vowed to renegotiate the country's bailout terms and end years of crippling austerity. Tsipras in particular has promised to write off half the nation's debt and end Greece's "humiliation and pain".

Even though his promises have appealed to Greek voters, they may prove difficult to keep. Despite a wave of optimism on the streets of Athens and beyond, Greece still comes first in the world for economic gloom. Pew Research carried out a poll in spring 2014 and found that 53 percent of Greeks expected their economic situation to worsen over the following 12 months. France was second for economic pessimism while Lebanon came third.

Several countries have voiced concerns about Syriza's anti-austerity plans and Germany has indicated it will not renegotiate Greece's bailout terms. If Tsipras fails to deliver what he's promised, a Greek exit of the eurozone could happen sooner rather than later.