More than a third of Europeans and Americans would be happy to go without cash and rely on electronic forms of payment if they could, and at least 20 per cent already pretty much do so, according to a new study.

The study, which was conducted in 13 European countries, the United States and Australia, also found that in many places where cash is most used, people are among the keenest to ditch it.

Overall, 34 per cent of respondents in Europe and 38 per cent in the United States said they would be willing to go cash-free, according to the survey, which was conducted by Ipsos for the ING bank website eZonomics.

Twenty-one per cent and 34 per cent in Europe and the US, respectively, said they already rarely use cash.

The trend was also clear. More than half of the European respondents said they had used less cash in the past 12 months than previously and 78 per cent said they expected to use it even less over the coming 12 months.

Germany is one of the countries that uses cash the most. The ING survey showed only 10 per cent of Germans saying they rarely use cash, compared, for example, with 33 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively, in neighbours Poland and France.