Study on the payment attitudes of consumers in the euro area (SPACE)

This report presents the key findings of a study conducted by the European Central Bank (ECB) on the payment attitudes of consumers in the euro area (SPACE) in 2024. It compares these findings with those of the previous SPACE studies (in 2019 and 2022) and, where relevant, with an earlier ECB study on the use of cash by households in the euro area (SUCH), conducted in 2016.1 The payment behaviour and, to a lesser extent, the stated preferences of consumers have evolved over this time span. Euro area consumers have been using non-cash instruments more frequently and cash less often to pay at the point of sale (POS), although cash is still widely used to pay smaller amounts. The stated preference for cash over non-cash payments has decreased, but cash is still considered an important payment option by the majority of consumers.