François Bayrou begins his mandate with historically low popularity

Only 34% of those questioned say they are satisfied or very satisfied with the new tenant of Matignon, according to the Ifop-“Journal du Dimanche” barometer.

The new Prime Minister, François Bayrou, begins his duties as head of government with a historically low popularity rating, according to the Ifop barometer.Sunday NewspaperSunday December 22. Only 34% of those questioned say they are satisfied or very satisfied with the new tenant of Matignon, and 66% of French people surveyed are dissatisfied.

Ifop, which has been carrying out this barometer for decades, went back to 1959 and the appointment of Michel Debré. The polling institute did not find such levels of unpopularity for a Prime Minister immediately after taking office. The share of people dissatisfied with François Bayrou far exceeds that recorded for Michel Barnier in September 2024 (55%), for Gabriel Attal in January 2024 (46%) and for Élisabeth Borne in May 2022 (43%).

This poll nevertheless reflects a slight improvement for Emmanuel Macron. The total number of satisfied people is up 2 points compared to last month, at 24%, compared to 76% of dissatisfied people. “The Trump-Zelensky meeting in Paris, the reopening of Notre-Dame help to slightly restore its image”observes the director of Ifop, Frédéric Dabi, for the Sunday Newspaper. “Emmanuel Macron finds a little oxygen in the distinction of the presidential function he occupies compared to the rest of the political staff.”

The survey was conducted among a sample of 2,004 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over. The interviews were conducted online from December 11 to 18.