With eight weeks to go before the municipal elections, the ecological transition is still the main topic of debate. Are we witnessing a “green backlash” in public opinion, i.e. a rise in hostility to environmental regulation policies designed to accelerate the ecological and social transition at local level? Looking at the results of this Ifop survey conducted for Réseau Action Climat and Secours Catholique – Caritas France, it’s clear that voters are sending out the opposite message: candidates must pursue the ecological transition as closely as possible to the French people, in their local communities!
Carried out among a representative national sample of 1,004 French people and an unprecedented sample of 1,050 residents of working-class neighborhoods (QPV[1]), this survey shatters the preconceived notion that the French are now tense about actions in favor of the environment and ecological transition. Unlike in other countries, French public opinion remains unequivocally supportive of the ecological transition: voters express strong reluctance to backtrack on policies already underway, expect candidates to put forward ambitious environmental measures, and support transition measures already underway, including in QPVs.
In a municipal campaign that is expected to be heavily polarized by the theme of security[2], these results are a reminder that the ecological and social transition is not fading from the agenda: it remains a high expectation horizon, closely associated with residents’ quality of life.
CLIMATE CHANGE IS NO LONGER AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT: THE REALIZATION OF ITS EFFECTS AT LOCAL LEVEL, AS WELL AS EXPOSURE TO VARIOUS FORMS OF POLLUTION, ARE FUELLING THE NEED FOR CONCRETE RESPONSES AT MUNICIPAL LEVEL
1 – The effects of climate change have already been widely observed: 58% of French people say they have noticed them in recent years, a proportion that rises to 66% among residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods.
2 – In detail, the manifestations cited are very concrete: 72% say they have noticed a drop in snowfall, 72% an increase in extreme weather events, 72% an increase in heat waves and 71% a rise in temperatures over the year as a whole.
3 – This new awareness is accompanied by a harsh diagnosis of the lack of local preparedness: 52% of French people feel that their commune is ill-prepared for the impacts of climate change, with a significant gap in working-class neighborhoods (57% vs. 52% on average).
A CLEAR REJECTION OF THE UNRAVELLING OF POLICIES UNDERTAKEN AT MUNICIPAL LEVEL: BACKTRACKING ON ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION POLICIES ALREADY UNDERWAY RUNS THE RISK OF ELECTORAL SANCTION
4 – Backtracking on ecological transition policies already implemented runs the risk of being punished: 63% of voters say they would be embarrassed to vote for a candidate who would call into question ecological transition measures already implemented in their municipality.
5 – The idea of a transition “for the privileged” is belied: this discomfort at the idea of voting for a candidate who would go backwards is shared by two-thirds of people living in working-class neighborhoods (64%) and up to 72% in towns of 100,000 inhabitants or more, i.e. where the transition policies implemented in recent years have been more visible and structuring.
6-Theargumentof “tightening spending” to the detriment of transition is not very convincing: 53% of French people believe thattransitionshould be pursued, even if it means increasing municipal investment.
CLARA SANNICOLO’S POINT OF VIEW (RESEAU ACTION CLIMAT): This poll should act as a wake-up call for the candidates: a majority of French people, whether they intend to vote left or right, say they are ready to punish candidates who propose setbacks on the ecological transition in their commune, including in working-class neighborhoods. It is therefore in their interest to commit to ambitious environmental policies that take social issues into account, given the reality of climate change as experienced on a daily basis. Ecological transition policies are seen as a guarantee of a better quality of life in the community, greater purchasing power, preserved health and local job creation. Going back on transition policies that have already been implemented is becoming a red line!
TRANSITION IN CONCRETE TERMS: THE FRENCH HAVE CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD THAT TRANSITION POLICIES ARE POSITIVE FOR THEIR WALLETS, THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND THEIR HEALTH
7 – Support for municipal action levers is very high: 89% approve of creating green spaces and protecting naturalandagricultural areas, 86% of preparing municipal buildings for the effects of climate change, and 85% for developing public transport accessible to all, carpooling and carsharing.
8 – Several measures are also perceived as beneficial to personal finances: 57% of French people attribute a positive impact to the greening of public spaces, 56% to limiting concrete encroachment and 55% to developing public transport.
è the french are thirsty for social justice. IT IS NECESSARY TO INTEGRATE SOCIAL MEASURES AND ECOLOGICAL MEASURES IN FAVOR OF THE SOCIAL
9 – 68% of French people support the priority given to the most disadvantaged in local policies to combat pollution and climate change. This support transcends political divides.
10 – Offering healthier, local meals at socialratesin school canteens is almost unanimously supported, with 87% of people in favor.
THE VIEW OF DAPHNE CHAMARD-TEIRLINCK (SCCF): The results of this survey are unambiguous: the French, and even more so residents of working-class neighborhoods, strongly support municipal levers for ecological transition and expect municipal candidates to make a clear commitment in this area. They know that these policies respond to very concrete needs – housing, transport, food, health – and that they can improve their daily lives if they are fair and accessible. The attachment to solidarity endures, with widespread support for giving priority to the most vulnerable.
NICOLA GADDONI (IFOP): These results suggest that the ecological and social transition is moving out of the realm of “opinion polls” and into that of municipal management expectations. The high level of discomfort with a candidate who would go back on what already exists indicates that some of the policies in place are now perceived as a given: the central question is therefore less “to do or not to do” than “to stay the course”, adapting it to local realities and guaranteeing fair implementation. The support observed in working-class neighborhoods confirms that the ecological and social transition is perceived first and foremost as a matter of protection and quality of life (heatwaves, housing, water), which reinforces the demand for municipal action. For the candidates, the challenge is clear: to continue, but above all, to distribute efforts fairly, with priority given to the populations and areas most at risk.
[1]Priority urban policy districts are territories for intervention by the State and local authorities defined by the programming law for cities and urban cohesion of February 21, 2014 with the shared aim of reducing development gaps between disadvantaged neighborhoods and their urban units. In metropolitan France, they have been identified according to a single criterion, that of per capita income. Priority neighborhoods were identified on the basis of Insee data (source: Revenus localisés sociaux et fiscaux for metropolitan France).
[2] Ifop survey for La Tribune Dimanche, carried out by online self-administered questionnaire from October 21 to 28, 2025 among a sample of 2,525 people living in towns with 5,000 or more inhabitants, taken from a sample of 4,044 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over.
