Do the French have confidence in the future of the country? Clearly, no, shows an Ipsos poll for Read the Society, which is organizing Political Book Day 2024 this Saturday April 27 at the National Assembly, in partnership with West France. Barely 30% of respondents consider that relations between French citizens could improve in the near future; Only 35% envisage an improvement in the economic situation; and 42% think that France’s place in the world can improve.
“The pessimism of the French is not new, comments Brice Teinturier, Deputy Managing Director of Ipsos. What is more serious is that the state of our society and social ties worries them more than the economic situation or France’s place in the world. And when we ask them to name the country’s main assets and handicaps, we have surprises…”
Strengths and handicaps
In terms of assets, the French art of living (mentioned by 40% of respondents) and the country’s protective social model (31%) come out on top. “That’s usual, specifies Brice Teinturier. It’s one of the things that brings us together. On the other hand, finding in third place (23%) the fact that France has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, or in fifth place (21%) that it has nuclear weapons, is unprecedented . The idea that we live in a more dangerous world has gained ground. »
The land of plenty where we would certainly live better than here does not exist.
On the disability side, administrative burdens and the centralization of decisions are cited by 47% of those questioned. Fifteen points ahead of regular strikes and blockages (32%). “What is remarkable is that responses such as the lack of innovation and research in companies, too short working hours or low productivity are very, very far behind. The French consider that it is no longer unemployment but our way of doing politics that prevents the country from moving forward. »
Latest lesson from the Ipsos survey: the desire to leave ” Really “ France, this country with such a poor future… 41% of respondents say they are ready to take the plunge. “This is especially true among young people, 57% of whom say so, observes Brice Teinturier. But when we ask people where they want to settle, the answers are very scattered. The land of plenty where we would certainly live better than here does not exist. Saying that we want to leave is more a way of expressing discomfort than a real desire to expatriate. »
