Purchasing power is one of the main concerns of the French with health. Important data with the presidential election approaching. And at the time of the balance sheet, 44% of them believe that their personal economic situation has deteriorated under the mandate of Emmanuel Macron, according to an exclusive CSA survey for CNEWS published this Thursday.
Concretely, it is therefore more than four out of ten French people who think that their finances have deteriorated since the start of the five-year term.
For the others, 40% of respondents felt that their economic situation was the same compared to 2017, when only 15% of respondents said that it had improved.
Finally, 1% of those polled did not express an opinion.
For its part, the government is nevertheless applying itself to defending its economic action, and has been doing so for several weeks.
Yesterday alone, during the traditional session of questions to the government at the National Assembly, the Minister of Public Accounts, Olivier Dussopt, indicated that nearly 4 million employees had received an exceptional purchasing power bonus (PEPA ) also known as the “Macron bonus”.
This premium is a minimum of 500 euros. But based on the volunteering of companies, it is not, by definition, aimed at the entire population.
Another lesson from this CSA survey is that the French aged 65 and over represent the most disappointed age group of the past five years. Among them, one person in two (50%) thinks that their personal economic situation has deteriorated.
With 22% of respondents having found that their financial situation was better since the election of Emmanuel Macron, the category of 25-34 year olds comes in first place among the satisfied.
Stronger discontent on the right
Regarding political affinities, supporters of the strong and national right (Reconquête! and Rassemblement national) are on the whole 72% to affirm that their financial situation has deteriorated under the last five-year term.
On the left, less than one in two people (48%) think the same. And on the side of the centrists, only 13% think that their finances have deteriorated. Unsurprisingly, this rate is even lower among supporters of the LREM majority (11%).
If he has still not officially declared himself a candidate for his succession, the outgoing head of state does not seem very far from entering the race.
In an interview with La Voix du Nord, and posted online Tuesday evening, Emmanuel Macron felt that he could not declare himself a candidate until the “acute phase” of the fifth wave of Covid had passed. However, the latest data lend themselves to optimism.
At the same time, Emmanuel Macron’s entourage would work on a future presidential program. The fact remains, however, that in the economic chapter, the current resident of the Élysée would not count on a rise in wages.
Emmanuel Macron would rather bet on increasing various social benefits, such as the activity bonus, or even on the abolition of contributions to increase purchasing power, notably reported La Croix.
A strategy which, if confirmed, would contrast with that of its main presidential competitors. Most of them, especially on the left, having indeed announced their intention to increase the minimum wage in the event of victory.
CSA survey conducted by self-administered online questionnaire on 1er and February 2 on a representative national sample of 1,010 people aged 18 and over.