At the request of the Institut de l’Entreprise, Ifop surveyed the French public about their relationship to the economy, their knowledge, and their perceptions of the subject.
This study highlights a certain familiarity among the French with economic issues when they are asked to assess their own level of interest and comfort with the subject. However, this general familiarity should not obscure the deep educational and social disparities that underlie the prevailing economic culture: interest in these topics, as well as the sense of mastery over them, appears significantly higher among respondents with greater economic and educational capital.
In practice, when asked questions testing their knowledge, the French seem to have a general understanding of the economy, though they do not always have a precise grasp of the orders of magnitude, particularly regarding public finances and business-related issues. Their perceptions also appear to be influenced by the prominence given to certain topics in public debate, as illustrated by the overestimation of defense spending.
Beyond these observations, businesses are viewed as far more capable than political actors of shaping the country’s economic future. This hierarchy reflects a context of deep mistrust toward the government and political actors.
Finally, while the assessment of public finance management is widely shared, the solutions proposed to reduce debt remain deeply influenced by political preferences.
