Ifop-Endrix, on behalf of L’Opinion, measured the popularity of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister in October. The survey was conducted before this weekend’s protests.
On the one hand, Emmanuel Macron’s approval rating remains very low: 17% of French people say they are satisfied with his performance, a figure that has remained stable since September. This is the second-worst result recorded by the President since he took office in 2017. At the same time, the percentage of French people who say they are “very dissatisfied” has reached a record high of 56%.
Specifically, a higher proportion of those aged 65 and older say they are satisfied with Emmanuel Macron (23%, up 8 points), while his popularity has declined among 18- to 24-year-olds (21%, down 3 points). The highest level of satisfaction continues to be found among his core supporters: 84% of Renaissance supporters say they are satisfied with his performance. Conversely, satisfaction has fallen sharply among mid-level professionals (11%, down 7 points). Declines are also evident among executives and professionals (23%, down 2 points), residents of the Paris metropolitan area (19%, down 2 points), and, even more markedly, among business leaders (10%, down 11 points).
On the other hand, the Prime Minister’s popularity has seen a slight rebound: 25% of French people say they are satisfied with Sébastien Lecornu, an increase of one point compared to September. However, this level represents his second-worst score since taking office at Matignon.
Once again, satisfaction levels are particularly high among the president’s core supporters: 87% of Renaissance supporters say they are satisfied, up one point. Satisfaction also remains well above 50% among voters who supported Emmanuel Macron in the first round of the 2022 presidential election: 67% say they are satisfied, a 13-point increase from September. Above-average levels of satisfaction are also seen among supporters of Les Républicains (41%), voters for Valérie Pécresse in the first round of the 2022 presidential election (36%), and those aged 65 and older (37%). Conversely, dissatisfaction is particularly widespread among supporters of La France Insoumise (91%) and the National Rally (85%).
This relative stability in the administration’s popularity comes amid high school student protests, which have been the main topic of conversation among the French public (80%) over the past week. In this context, the government is losing ground among younger people but gaining support among older generations. Rising gas prices rank second among topics of conversation (77%), ahead of cyberattacks on supermarket refrigerators (59%) and the 2027 presidential election (57%).
