Almost 60% of people in France concerned about 'water scarcity'

Nearly 60% of French people are concerned by water scarcity, but the level of concern varies according to their age, a recent study has revealed.

The Terram Institute says that for 58% of 5,000 poll respondents, ‘le stress hydrique’ (which translates as ‘water stress’) is a reality in the country. [28% said it was not a problem while 14% expressed no opinion.]

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The study, reported by Franceinfo, found that while the perception cuts across all socio-economic categories, it differs according to generation. 

The majority of those under 35 (61%) feel that water stress is ‘an emergency’, with only 51% of those over 60 feeling the same – an indication that younger French people are more aware of climate change issues.

Conversely, “generations who grew up in a context of water abundance seem less aware of this issue,” said Terram, a non-profit organisation which is ‘a collegial, multidisciplinary think-tank dedicated to the study of territories’.

Water has become a source of anxiety for almost two-thirds of those surveyed (65%), while nearly three quarters even believe that the quality of drinking water is deteriorating.

44% believe that access to this resource is becoming a major problem, and that it is no longer a guaranteed resource.

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Over a quarter of French people have already suffered water-related natural disaster, 29% of those surveyed have already experienced a shortage of drinking water due to drought and, conversely, 16% have already experienced major flooding.

There was also a clear north-south divide in opinion: residents of Occitanie are the most concerned (62% of the region’s inhabitants), followed by Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (60%) and Corsica (60%), where drought is seen as the main threat. Conversely, in Normandy (68%) and Hauts-de-France (67%), flood risk is of greatest concern.