Deposits made on Livrets A and LDDS continued to slow down in April according to data from the Caisse des Dépôts (CDC). However, with a total outstanding amount of 576.2 billion euros, these risk-free investments, which today yield a return of 3%, retain their crown as the favorite of French households. Especially since the freezing of yield decided by Bruno Le Maire until the end of 2024 has allowed them since February to be above the level of inflation and therefore to make money! Beyond this observation, in its “Savings Barometer in France and regions”, produced by Ifop and published this Tuesday, the broker and wealth management advisor Altaprofits presents the trends which guide French savers at the time of choose how to invest their savings.
1. French people in 10 have a savings product
If the Covid health crisis has increased the amount of sums put aside, the war in Ukraine or reforms such as that of pensions are not causing the French to deviate from their savings trajectory, notes Altaprofits. “The savings behavior of the French is impervious to economic fluctuations. The holding of savings products and the frequency of savings vary very little from year to year: more than 8 in 10 French people (85%) own at least one savings product (stable since 2020) and nearly 6 French people out of 10 (58%) also hold several (+5 points since 2020)”, underline the professionals. These proportions are also found in the regional studies proposed by Altaprofits.
2. Women aged 35 invest less
Everyone has their own technique, what matters is saving as little as possible. Among the 94% of French people investing money at regular intervals in their savings products, 75% do so at least once every six months. Women aged 35 and over and people aged 65 and over are those who invest the least often, with 24% and 28% respectively saying they invest money less than once a year or never, compared to 18%. on average.
To explain this situation, we recall that in 2022, the average annual salary of women was 23.5% lower than that of men. They are both less often employed and more part-time: “situations that can be as much a choice as they can be suffered”recalls INSEE.
3. 75% of savers invest to cope with unforeseen circumstances
Why put money aside? “The French save first to face unforeseen events”, underlines Altaprofits. This is ahead of “project” savings with 75% of quotes compared to 45%. Age criteria are particularly explanatory of the foundations of savings. “The segment of the population under 35 is quite logically distinguished by much more marked project savings than the average, with 59% of quotes as the main reason (vs. 45% on average for the entire population)”points out the study.
At the opposite end of the age scale, those aged 65 and over stand out for their greater sensitivity to small unforeseen events (65% of quotes vs. 56% on average) and a lower sensitivity to exceptional situations. (29% vs. 36% on average); their other saving motivation is to simply separate their savings from their current account (45% of quotes vs. 38% on average).
4. 7 out of 10 savers prefer risk-free products
This is the basis of any financial investment: to earn a lot, you have to take risks. It is therefore necessary to know what you are prepared to lose before investing your savings to achieve a strong return. In life insurance for example, euro funds are protected when the units of account can cause you to lose part of your capital.
Faced with this situation, the Livret A, the LDDS or the Popular Savings Booklet (LEP), if you are eligible, offer guarantees since the State protects your deposits. The Altaprofits / Ifop study highlights a “ strong aversion to risk. » 69% of respondents – i.e. most savers – owning at least one savings product, continue to favor risk-free products even with a low return (68% in 2023).
Men, who generally overestimate their knowledge in this area according to the authors of the study, are significantly more likely than women to favor the Stock Savings Plan (17% versus 9%) or life insurance (33% versus 25%). %).
5. Responsibility before performance for 2 out of 10 savers
Savers (25% of respondents) say they are wary of “greenwashing”, these practices which consist of a lot of communication promoting ecological investments, even when they represent a small part of the funds chosen to invest the money. Gold, “responsible investments are essential for younger generationsinsists Altaprofits. Those under 35 have a greater interest than their elders in financing it through savings. 17% of them have favored responsible investments, whatever their return (compared to 6% for those aged 35 and over). »
Regarding indicators relating to responsible investment, the most informed are those under 35 with 38%, including 54% students. “Responsible investments are emerging; younger generations are the most sensitive to sustainable finance; they are best placed to direct their savings towards financing the ecological transition”decide the authors of the study.
