It is a barometer that says a lot about the concerns of the French. Worried about global warming, distressed by the loss of their purchasing power, disrupted by public service closures and frightened by the wars taking place at the country's gates, the inhabitants of our country are not doing very well. This is what emerges overall from the latest Territorial Barometer carried out by Elabe and the Institut Montaigne with the SNCF.
Carried out for the third time, this survey was carried out among 10,000 people in the twelve metropolitan regions. His conclusion is not very exciting. “Covid marked the entry into a new era, that of the “polycrisis”. Health, geopolitical, climatic, political, budgetary, inflation crises and the feeling of galloping insecurity are now piling up,” explain the authors, who specify “the French feel vulnerable in a France perceived as powerless.” A little leaden. But in the midst of this ambient doldrums, there is reason to find hope. To do this, we must go to the west of our country and knock on the door of Brittany. “If you’re looking for a little fun, go take a trip to Lambé.”
The peninsula quite easily holds the title of “the most optimistic region in France” with 64% of respondents saying they are “optimistic for the future” of their region. In second place, we find Pays-de-la-Loire (56% of respondents) and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (54%). Conversely, 47% of inhabitants of Hauts-de-France say they are pessimistic for the future of their region.
A much more favorable employment context
To try to explain why the Bretons are so enthusiastic, we must look at some data collected in this barometer. First, 85% of residents say they are “attached” to their region and believe that it is “good to live in”. Nearly one in ten Bretons feel “safe” at home and that there is mutual help between residents, even if disparities exist depending on whether you live in Rennes or in the depths of Finistère. Fear of the consequences of global warming and its impact on our lives is also lower in Brittany than in the south of France.
To measure the optimism of the French, it is also good to look at the economic performance of their region. According to the barometer, 60% of residents of Occitanie and 57% of residents of Hauts-de-France believe that it is “difficult to find a job”. And inevitably, it weighs heavily on their morale. A figure which falls to 36% in Pays-de-la-Loire and 38% in Brittany, where unemployment rates are the lowest in France. Two regions that we find at the top of optimism.
