For Europe Day, this May 9, 2024, one month before the European elections, West France carried out a major survey via Ifop on “What the French think of Europe”. This survey questioned nearly 5,000 people in all regions of France, including overseas.
To comment on it, the Europe du Mur des Podcasts program invited the editor-in-chief to West France in charge of national and international, Laëtitia Greffié:
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Not a poll on voting intentions
For these elections which will elect the 720 members of the future European Parliament West France has decided not to relay the various voting intention surveys in its paper version or on its site, as for the 2022 presidential election. “We consider that they have the disadvantage of sometimes confusing the message”believes Laëtitia Greffié. “Journalism time should be devoted to deciphering and explaining rather than deciphering voting intention polls which will arrive every day. »
An editorial choice which has an impact on the site’s more overall SEO and is often a big Source of clicks for the media. “We are aware of this and we accept it perfectly, to instead provide our reader with all the elements that will allow them to form an opinion. We are not here to tell everyone what to vote, that is not our job”recalls Laëtitia Greffié.
A survey on the perception of Europe by the French
However, West France proposes a survey this May 9… “A major survey on the perception of Europe by the French”specifies the editor-in-chief. “The novelty of this survey is that it concerns all territories, not just the West. » So both the regions of France, but also in the Overseas Territories.
The aim is to discover how the EU is perceived in everyday life. Thus, pride in being European remains clearly in the majority (6 out of 10 French people), but it has declined since 2021, a period when the role of the EU in the pandemic had undoubtedly “boosted” this result. Since then, the war in Ukraine and economic difficulties have eroded this pride. “We sometimes discover perceptions of Europe in certain regions which are not necessarily those expected”notes Laëtitia Greffié.
