Consumers in the eurozone expect inflation to be noticeably lower, according to a survey by the European Central Bank.

Expectations for inflation over the next 12 months fell in April compared to the previous month from 5 to 4.1%, the ECB announced in Frankfurt on Tuesday. In March, these expectations had risen significantly.

Looking at a period of three years, the expectation in April fell from 2.9% to 2.5% after the increase in the previous month.

The ECB wrote that consumer inflation expectations had fallen so much that they had largely made up for the previous month's increase. Expectations had already tended to fall significantly in the months before March.

Uncertainty about the future movement of prices and consumers' perceived inflation also fell in April. The latter was particularly true for younger respondents aged between 18 and 34.

The ECB is aiming for inflation of 2% in the medium term. In recent months, high inflation has tended to fall, reaching 6.1% in May.