At a time when some presidential candidates are proposing the elimination of intermunicipal entities with their own taxing authority, the principle of intermunicipal cooperation has never been more popular with the public. Conducted six months after the local elections, this latest Ifop poll for Intercommunalités de France paints a generally positive picture: support for the intermunicipal model remains overwhelming, satisfaction with the work of intermunicipal bodies and their presidents has increased significantly, and the criticisms traditionally leveled at intermunicipal bodies—tax increases, complexity, and a disconnect from elected officials—have fallen to levels not seen in over a decade.
🔑 KEY FIGURES 🔑
1 – Six months after the municipal elections, the presidents of intermunicipal bodies are enjoying record popularity, with a 69% satisfaction rate (+7 points since 2024)—their highest level since 2018.
2 – It should be noted that at the start of this term, the French make no secret of their satisfaction with the work accomplished by their intermunicipal associations: 73% are satisfied (+5 points compared to 2024).
3 – The perception that intermunicipal bodies are useful has never been stronger since the 2015 reform, with 70% of French people considering their intermunicipal body “useful” (+2 points) and 85% believing it is “a good thing” for their municipality.
4 – At a time when the draft budget bill calls for reducing the tax revenues of intermunicipal associations by more than half a billion euros, a growing number of French people (56%, up 6 points) believe that their intermunicipal authority “uses taxpayer money well.”
5 – Long-standing criticisms of intermunicipal bodies are on the decline: the view that intermunicipal bodies “tend to raise local taxes” is now shared by only 62% of the French public, down from 73% in 2013 (-11 points), as is the view that they “complicate local management” (60%, down 9 points since 2013).
6 – Following an election cycle that may have served as an educational opportunity on these topics, the proportion of French people who consider their intermunicipal body to be an institution “we know well” has increased by 6 points (44%, compared to 38% in 2024).
7 –Health care (76%) stands out as residents’ top expectation regarding their intermunicipal authority,ahead of drinking water (65%), social services (64%, +7 points), and transportation (61%).
