With the exception of François Hollande – 13% satisfied in the fall of 2014 – no president of the Fifth Republic has ever reached such a level of unpopularity. De Gaulle had fallen to 42% at the height of his “unpopularity”Mitterrand at 22% during his second term, but in both cases, this disenchantment of the French corresponded to the last months of their reign. Emmanuel Macron is only halfway through his second five-year term. An alarming sign, so to speak, the president is down 7 points on his 2022 electoral base.
It collapses among the elderly and among retirees (- 10), who constituted its “core” electoral, torn from the right – the elders had overwhelmingly voted for Fillon in 2017, but joined Macron in 2022. “The increase in the CSG and the incessant debates around the contribution of retirees to financial efforts partly explain the distrust of these categories”deciphers Frédéric Dabi, the boss of Ifop. Should we find a reason for comfort? The proportion of “very unhappy” (44%) decreases by 4 points…
“The act of contrition on the dissolution during the vows undoubtedly attenuated the virulence of the criticism”explains Dabi. Among the spontaneous comments of the French people interviewed, fewer insults, fewer outrageous remarks than in recent months, as if they no longer expected much from their president. “He wanders abroad and is no longer interested in us”comments one. “He did his circus in France, since then he has been traveling from country to country”quips another.
François Bayrou seems out of step with the resounding expectations of the French
Where Mitterrand and Chirac, during a period of cohabitation, took advantage of an overlooking position, Macron is accused of “hide behind your Prime Minister”continues Frédéric Dabi. “We are waiting for him to get the country out of the crisis, but he is not succeeding”comments a respondent; “The only thing he does is change the government every four mornings”complains another. Cowardice, indifference, “he mismanaged the country and he doesn’t care”the French seem in a hurry to turn the page on Macron, “without, in their comments, formally calling for his resignation”underlines the boss of Ifop.
-Compared to this criticized president, the Prime Minister, stable at 34% satisfied, does not decline when his predecessor began to slide from the first month of his lease. However, the comments are not very friendly towards a Prime Minister “weather vane, who wants to get along with everyone”according to a respondent who reflects the general point of the comments. Identified with the theme of the accumulation of mandates and proportional representation, François Bayrou seems out of step with the resounding expectations of the French, sending him, according to Frédéric Dabi, to “a traditional and obsolete political figure”.
Ifop survey for the JDD carried out from January 15 to 23, 2025.
© JDD
France
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