The majority of people in France say they are happy, a new poll has found, despite worries over the climate and rising costs. However, fewer people say they feel optimistic now than in 2021.
The results were:
- Happy: 68% (down 11 percentage points compared to October 2021)
- Reasonably happy: 17% (up six points)
- Not happy: 14% (up four points)
Financial struggles
Unsurprisingly, happiness levels vary considerably depending on income.
Of those who do not have to cut costs to make ends meet each month, 81% say they are happy. In comparison, for those who do struggle, only 54% say they are happy.
Managers are more likely to say they are happier (87%), compared to manual workers (62%) or professional employees (67%).
Worries over spending power
While the majority of respondents are still positive, the general level of optimism has dropped since 2021.
- Confidence: 29% (down four percentage points)
- Serenity: 28% (down four points)
- Satisfaction: 27% (down seven)
- Weariness: 45% (up four)
- Nostalgia: 42% (up two)
- Sadness: 34% (up seven)
- Anger: 31% (up seven)
- Fear: 26% (up seven)
This slight drop in optimism can be explained by rising worries about global issues. These include:
- 91% say they are worried about their purchasing power decreasing over the next few months
- 89% fear a drop in their quality of life due to rising costs
- 85% are worried about climate change effects, such as flooding, natural disasters and a lack of water
- 74% fear that their health will get worse due to pollution and environmental issues
Political leaning
Differences also exist depending on political allegiance. More than two thirds (77%) of people who voted for Emmanuel Macron in the most recent presidential elections say that things are “going well” for them personally.
This compares to 63% who voted for (left-wing) Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and 58% for (far-right) Marine Le Pen.
The study* was carried out by the Elabe institute for BFMTV.
*Study of 1,002 people representative of the population aged 18+, by age, gender, profession, adjusted for region and urban category. Online poll carried out on November 22-23, 2022.
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