Ifop for Les Actifs Anonymes unveils the results of its survey of French opinion on liberal ideas.
First of all, political discourse on finance appears to be largely disqualified. Only 19% of French people believe that politicians are telling the truth about the state of public finances, against 81% who think the opposite. This distrust is even stronger among those close to the Rassemblement National (88%).
The French overwhelmingly support stricter budgetary rules. Three quarters are in favor of enshrining in the Constitution a rule prohibiting deficit budgets, barring exceptional circumstances. This support is particularly strong among supporters of the Republicans (87%) and the RN (85%).
This demand for budgetary seriousness should be seen in the context of widespread concern about public debt: 81% of French people say they are worried about debt levels.nnWhen we go into the details of the political choices to be made, the answers become more nuanced. A majority of French people consider it possible to reduce the deficit without cutting civil servant salaries (58%), and a slightly smaller majority also think it can be done without touching healthcare spending (56%). On the other hand, opinion on retirement pensions is equally divided: 50% think it is possible, 50% think it is not.
The idea of a rebalancing in favor of working people is well established. 62% of French people believe that the average standard of living of working people should be higher than that of pensioners. This conviction is particularly strong among working people (68%), the most highly educated (73%) and supporters of the presidential majority (71%).
In addition, the alignment of special schemes with the general scheme receives 76% support, with particularly high levels among Renaissance (91%) and Republican (84%) supporters. Similarly, the idea of a maximum pension ceiling for public-sector employees and agents is approved by 66% of French people.
Finally, on the subject of work, the diagnosis is clear: a majority of French people (57%) feel that compulsory levies on earned income are too high, with particularly high levels among those close to the RN (70%). But above all, there is an overwhelming consensus on another point: 91% of French people believe that in France, work doesn’t pay enough. This idea cuts across almost all social and political categories.
Only 19% of French people trust the parties and candidates of 2027 to improve their purchasing power. At the same time, 68% say they would vote for a candidate proposing “shock therapy” based on zero deficit, lower public spending and lower taxes.
