FRANKFURT, Feb 6 Reuters Euro zone consumers have trimmed their expectations for inflation over the next 12 months, a European Central Bank poll showed on Tuesday, in a sign the ECB39;s credittightening efforts are having an impact.

The Consumer Expectations Survey CES is used by policymakers to gauge whether the steepest streak of interestrate hikes in the euro39;s history has persuaded households that once runaway inflation will fall back to the ECB39;s 2 inflation goal.

The latest poll, carried out in December on an expanded panel of 11 countries, showed the median household expected prices to rise by 3.2 in the following 12 months, down from 3.5 a month earlier.

On the flipside, expectations for inflation three years ahead remained slightly above the ECB39;s goal, even rising slightly to 2.5 from 2.4.

The result for the previous months were restated to include responses from Ireland, Greece, Austria, Portugal and Finland, which are now also part of the survey.

They join Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands, raising the poll39;s coverage to 96 of the euro areas GDP and 94 of its population.

The CES is an important input in the ECB39;s deliberations because households39; inflation expectations can affect wage demands and attitudes towards saving and spending.

Reporting By Francesco Canepa; editing by Christina Fincher

Source Reuters