In a country torn apart by the pension reform, the level of confidence of the French in institutions is at its lowest since the crisis of “yellow vests”, according to a survey carried out by the Institute OpinionWay for Cevipof in four countries Europeans.
by elsa conesa
The Covid-19 pandemic may remain in history as an exceptional moment of national communion. In the space of a few months, the confidence of the French towards the State and the political institutions experienced a extremely rare embellished, of memory of the sounder. But almost two years after the last confinement, in the spring of 2021, hexagon returned to what made its singularity in Europe: very great distrust. This is one of the lessons in the Barometer of Political Confidence, a vast annual investigation carried out by the Institute Opinionway for the Center for Political Research of Sciences Po (Cevipof) between January 27 and February 9 in four countries – France , Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy.
“We observe a general drop in the level of confidence in institutions, the lowest since” yellow vests “, sums up Luc Rouban, researcher in Cevipof. This general distrust, which gives the feeling of a sick and fractured society , now brings France closer to Italy, which, however, is doing a little better this year due to the arrival of the new government of Giorgia Meloni. “More than their neighbors, the French say they are suspicious and suspicious in This beginning of the five -year term, in a country torn by the pension reform. They are towards their fellow citizens, their institutions, whether national or European, and towards the political class in general – while waiting for the latter more protection.
Almost two -thirds consider that democracy does not work well – 10 points more than two years ago – compared to less than 40 % in Germany and 58 % in Italy. This does not prevent them from expressing a form of well-being, serenity, even enthusiasm- the end of the parenthesis COVVI, according to the authors of the study.
“We are in a hybrid moment, confirms Gilles Ivaldi, researcher at Cevipof. The tensions generated by the Covid, then the war in Ukraine, had rather improved the confidence of citizens. But they had in parallel deep social repercussions With inflation, the energy and purchasing power crisis. An almost everywhere, which has been put under an oven is changing to anger, insecurity. When you add that to a Structural crisis of representation, you have a perfect cocktail for a social crisis. “
” distrust “and” disgust “
Despite the presidential campaign of 2022, then the pension reform, the French are those who, in Europe, are the least interested in politics – barely half of them are passionate about public life, against 77 % in Germany or 65 % in Italy. More than elsewhere, it mostly inspires them “distrust” and “disgust”, a feeling that had diminished during the COVID-19 crisis. Politicians are seen as “rather corrupt” and serving in priority “their own interests”, in proportions which exceed those observed elsewhere.
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