Inflation Expectations and Inflation Uncertainty in the Eurozone: Evidence from Survey Data

摘要

This paper uses the European Commission's Consumer Survey to assess whether inflation expectations have converged and whether inflation uncertainty has diminished following the introduction of the euro in Europe. Consumers' responses to the survey suggest that inflation expectations depend more on past national inflation rates than on the ECB's anchor for price stability. Inflation expectations do not converge significantly faster than actual inflation rates. Regarding inflation uncertainty, the data indicate a relationship with country size following the introduction of the euro. This suggests that within EMU, inflation uncertainty may increase in countries that have a smaller influence on ECB policy.