Purchasing power: the French disappointed by Macron<

Emmanuel Macron's economic policy does not appeal to the French. According to the latest BVA/La Tribune monthly opinion poll on "economic issues", the reforms undertaken by the government are judged unfavorably by a majority of French people. The increase in taxes on fuel or the increase in the CSG on pensions for retirees may have fueled this feeling of discontent at the start of the year. Despite favorable economic conditions, the popularity of the measures taken by the executive is eroding over the months.

| Read also: Budget 2018: the measures will benefit the rich more, according to the OFCE

Purchasing power at the center of concerns

According to the results collected by the polling institute, 68% of respondents believe that their purchasing power has rather decreased over the past year. Only 3% consider that purchasing power has rather increased, while 27% consider that it has remained the same. This feeling of loss of purchasing power is particularly visible among retirees (82%), and employees and workers (75%). On the other hand, it is less widespread among managers (37%). In a broader approach, the results illustrate "a certain divide in the population", notes the institute.

A favorable minority

Only 11% of respondents believe that their income for the first month of the year was higher than that of December 2017, while a third said they were identical. Conversely, 54% of French people said that their income in January 2018 was lower than in December. The feeling of decline is much more marked among retirees directly affected by the rise in the CSG and public sector employees (57%), "waiting for the generalization of compensation for the rise in the CSG." last fall, Bercy, wanting to be reassuring, announced in a press release "the establishment of a compensatory allowance from CSG for all public officials from the three sides of the public service. On this occasion, he also affirmed the government's desire to fully compensate for the amount of this new allowance for employers in the territorial and hospital public services.

On the private sector side, only 28% of employees consider that their income in January 2018 was lower than that of December 2017, compared to 22% who indicate that their income was higher, "while this population has benefited more widely from the reduction in contributions social, a sign that this measure is still barely perceptible".

Aunt Marion. 1959. I was 4. She taught me how to make peanut butter toast and that I could still be pretty with ab… https://t.co/cjfLCzwN4U

— Sue Duffield 🎙 Mon Tue 04 19:35:22 +0000 2019

Pessimists about the future

Citizens surveyed by BVA are mostly pessimistic (74%) about a favorable development in their purchasing power. Conversely, only 24% of respondents say they are optimistic on this point. This feeling of gloom is particularly pronounced among workers (90%), employees (81%) and retirees (77%), and less visible among managers (65%).

At the level of political labels, the cleavage is also remarkable. 80% of La France Insoumise supporters and 81% of PS supporters say they are pessimistic, as do 79% of LR supporters and 90% of those of the FN. Conversely, optimism reigns among supporters of the Republic on the March (LREM) (77%). Logically, the results according to the social categories to which the respondents feel they belong confirm some divisions.

58% of French people unfavorable

The erosion of French confidence in the economic policy of the former investment banker continues over the months. Only 37% of respondents indicate that its economic policy is good, against 43% last January and 49% in December 2017. At the same time, the camp of skeptics is widening. "58% of French people think that economic policy is bad, they were 53% in January and 49% in December."

The proportion of retirees considering that the government's economic policy is good fell by 7 points (from 52% to 45%). This drop is even greater among employees and workers with 11 points less (from 38% to 27% among CSP-). A similar decrease is evident among public sector employees. At the political level, "it is among supporters of the left that negative opinions are growing the most: 80% consider that the government's economic policy is bad, ie 9 points more than in January." The issue of purchasing power therefore seems to stir up discontent among the French who are still waiting for a revaluation of a few social minima supposed to take place next fall.

__________

(*) Method: Survey carried out on a sample of French people recruited by telephone, then questioned by Internet from February 12 to 13, 2018. It is based on a sample of 1,027 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over.

| Read also: Economic policy: the French judge Macron harshly

5 mins

Share :