How the French see the future

As part of the fourth wave of its annual survey for Les Rencontres de l’Avenir, Ifop asked the French how they see the future. More than ever, given the deep political and parliamentary crisis following the dissolution of the French parliament in 2024, the French are finding it extremely difficult to project themselves into the future.nn-tThe vast majority of those surveyed see the future as something to worry about (86%, or 10% more than in 2024). This is why a significant proportion of French people (41%, +8 points) express a feeling of paralysis when thinking about the future. nn-tFurthermore, the French continue to consider that the fight against climate change (33%) will be the area that will see the most changes in the coming years, followed by health (32%) and the safety of people and property (29%). This issue is gaining ground every year as a priority for the future (+8 points in 2 years). The 18-24 and 65+ age groups show the same level of concern (34%) about the fight against climate disruption, a sign that the issue cuts across the whole of society.nn-tA majority of French people (63%) continue to perceive today’s world as a period of regression. This pessimistic view is down 4 points on 2024. But it remains particularly widespread, as evidenced by the fact that almost three-quarters of French people (71%) are worried about a future with more artificial intelligence, compared with 29% who see this future as promising. It’s worth noting that the French’s relationship with AI is highly generation-indexed: 45% of 18-24 year-olds, versus 20% of those aged 65 and over, consider the prospect of a future with more artificial intelligence to be promising, a 25-point gap.nn-tFinally, when asked about their confidence in various players to prepare for the future, the majority of French people say they have confidence in scientists (77%), but also in the army (75%), an institution which in the public imagination completely escapes the idea of the country’s decline. Conversely, the French express very little confidence in institutional players to prepare their future, such as the executive and “deputies and senators” (24% each). On the other hand, mayors and the managers of very small businesses (69% each) are trusted by a large majority of people.