Bayrou begins his mandate with a historically low popularity rating

François Bayrou begins his duties as Prime Minister with a historically low popularity rating, according to the Ifop barometer.Sunday Newspaperwhich measures the proportion of French people who are unhappy with it at 66%. Only 34% of those questioned say they are satisfied or very satisfied with the new head of government.

Going back to 1959 and the appointment of Michel Debré, Ifop, which has been carrying out this barometer for decades, has not found such high levels of unpopularity for a Prime Minister immediately after taking office.

Macron's popularity on the rise

The number of people dissatisfied with François Bayrou, who hopes to form his government in the next few days, far exceeds that recorded by Michel Barnier in September 2024 (55%), by Gabriel Attal in January 2024 (46%) and by Élisabeth Borne in May 2022 (43%).

This poll, however, 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 (- 2 points). “The Trump-Zelensky meeting in Paris, the reopening of Notre-Dame help to slightly restore its image», observed for the JDD the director of Ifop Frédéric Dabi.

«Emmanuel Macron finds a little oxygen in the distinction of the presidential function he occupies compared to the rest of the political staff», he adds.

The survey was carried out among a sample of 2,004 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over. Quota method. Interviews conducted online from December 11 to 18.