Romain Rouillard / Photo credit: NICOLAS GUYONNET / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP
Although inflation may be slowing, purchasing power remains at the top of the French people’s major concerns. According to a CSA survey for Europe 1, CNews and The Sunday Journal*, this theme must constitute, according to 38% of respondents, the priority issue of the future European elections which are to be held next June. In second place, those surveyed cite immigration, tied with the environment (29%). Insecurity (24%) is at the bottom of the podium. Then follow, in order, health, social inequalities, terrorism, employment, school and finally housing.
A classification that changes little according to the gender and profession of the respondents, but which evolves when we look at the age of the respondents. Thus, the youngest (18-24 years old) want the environment (32%) to be the priority issue of this European campaign.
Older people care more about immigration
In this age group, purchasing power only comes in fourth position, behind immigration (30%) and social inequalities (27%). On the other hand, among 25-34 year olds, purchasing power is very widely cited (44%), far ahead of other themes. Among the oldest (65 and over), it is immigration which must be considered as the main issue of this campaign (35%), just ahead of insecurity (31%).
If purchasing power is considered, unanimously, as an issue of great importance, depending on the partisan proximity of the respondents, the ranking of priorities varies considerably from one sensitivity to another. Thus, 44% of left-wing voters want the environment to take a major place in the European campaign.
Strong left-right divide
A theme cited by only 10% of far-right sympathizers, thus illustrating the strong divide between the two camps. Conversely, the latter, in very large numbers, highlight immigration (58%) and also mention insecurity (40%). Two themes that come up regularly among voters on the right, but much less among those on the left. On the side of the radical left, social inequalities are most often mentioned (53%), ahead of purchasing power (34%) and the environment (27%). Immigration and insecurity come a long way behind.
Purchasing power already appeared at the top of the French’s concerns in a previous survey, dating from last January. The podium was, at the time, completed by health and insecurity.
*Nationally representative sample of 1,013 people aged 18 and over Quota method based on the criteria of sex, age and profession of the respondent after stratification by region and urban category. To ensure the representativeness of the results, the data were adjusted for the variables of sex, age, profession, region and urban category.