An Ipsos poll, published last December, made Gabriel Attal the favorite political figure of the French with 40% favorable opinion. Additional data which undoubtedly contributed to the germination of Emmanuel Macron’s decision. That of appointing as Prime Minister the former spokesperson for the executive who therefore became this Tuesday, at 34 years old, the youngest head of government in the history of the Fifth Republic.
A popularity that was confirmed by a CSA survey for CNEWS, Europe 1 and The Sunday Journal. Gabriel Attal indeed benefits from the trust of 48% of the French people surveyed. A satisfactory score, but nevertheless lower than that of her predecessor, Elisabeth Borne, when she arrived at Matignon in May 2022. “It’s a good score, but, from the darling of the polls who is prancing in the lead of all the personality barometers, we could have expected better”, tempers Julie Gaillot, director of the CSA society division, on Europe 1.
More popular among seniors than young people
However, several lessons, sometimes unexpected, emerged from this consultation carried out with 1,012 people aged 18 and over. Despite his young age, the new Prime Minister is more popular among seniors than among 18-24 year olds. Only 44% of them trust him, compared to 54% for those over 50. A figure which even reaches 60% among those aged 65 and over. Conversely, those aged 25-34 are the most skeptical since only four out of ten respondents in this age group say they trust the former Minister of National Education.
The results, depending on the political proximity of the people questioned, also provide interesting results, with regard to the political background of the person concerned. Because before joining Emmanuel Macron, it was in the Socialist Party that the young Gabriel Attal honed his skills. He was even an advisor to Marisol Touraine at the Ministry of Health, during the five-year term of François Hollande. And yet, socialist sympathizers trust him significantly less (51%) than Republican supporters (63%).
Right-wing supporters more inclined to trust him
Generally speaking, it is on the right that the appointment of the former government spokesperson is more convincing. It must be said that during his time at National Education, Gabriel Attal took up an issue dear to the right: that of the ban on the abaya, ratified at the end of the summer, just one month after his arrival at rue de Grenelle. On the left, on the other hand, only 44% of those questioned trust him.
The most circumspect are, unsurprisingly, those who oppose the majority. First on the left, where only three out of ten respondents, among those close to France Insoumise, trust Gabriel Attal, but also on the right, where 69% of followers of the Reconquête! movement, founded by Eric Zemmour, do not believe in the future action of the new head of government.