Fighting incivilities: what the French expect from their mayors

The survey carried out by Ifop in partnership with Vizzia highlights the particularly high expectations of the French in terms of safety and public tranquility. nnWhile a majority are satisfied with their municipality’s action in terms of cleanliness (71%) and safety (67%), these figures also reveal real room for improvement. The priorities expressed by citizens focus first and foremost on the fight against personal crime, cited by 77% of respondents, followed by the prevention of burglaries (75%) and damage or acts of vandalism (66%). In addition, more than half of French people also consider the fight against illegal waste dumping a priority (61%), a sign that this issue is now widely shared, whatever the generation, political orientation or type of commune.nnIndeed, urban cleanliness has become a central issue in everyday life. Over 90% of French people say they have observed litter in their commune, and 75% have seen litter in the past year. Such dumping, whether of bulky items or construction waste, is perceived as increasingly visible and contributes to the deterioration of the living environment, sometimes seen as a sign of abandonment of certain public spaces. This phenomenon, long viewed from a strictly environmental angle, is now associated with a decline in quality of life and a heightened sense of insecurity.nAgainst this backdrop, video protection appears to be a response that is widely acclaimed by the public. In 2024, 88% of French people said they were in favor of cameras in public spaces, a figure that has risen sharply since 2008 (71%). The proportion of those very much in favor has more than doubled, while firm opposition is becoming marginal. This growing support can be explained by a change in attitudes towards this technology: for almost seven out of ten French people, the presence of cameras is no longer perceived as an infringement of freedoms or privacy. This growing confidence is also reflected in a greater demand for equipment: 62% of those surveyed consider that there are not enough cameras in public spaces, an increase of almost twenty points since 2008.nnThe locations deemed to be the highest priorities for the installation of these devices reflect the day-to-day concerns of local residents. The French overwhelmingly support the presence of cameras around schools and in streets prone to damage (84%), as well as in littering areas (82%), parking lots (80%) and public squares (78%).nnnKatrin de Proyart, CEO of Vizzia, comments: “This survey shows that issues of safety and cleanliness are no longer confined to large cities, but are now also a concern in medium-sized towns and suburban France. These figures confirm what we observe every day during the installation of Vizzia devices: video protection is very much in demand by local residents, and has gradually become a common-sense tool, so much so that the French now find it hard to understand why mayors would do without it!”