Politics: The French are in favor of holding a referendum, according to a poll

The French are overwhelmingly in favor (83%) of holding a referendum and place the economy, pensions and immigration at the top of the list of issues they would like to be questioned on, according to an Elabe poll for BFMTV, published on Sunday.

When asked "In recent months, several political figures have mentioned the desire to hold a referendum on various issues. In principle, are you in favor or opposed?", more than one in two French people said they were in favor, and 28% said they were very much in favor.

"This idea has penetrated public opinion"

This study is published following Prime Minister François Bayrou 's proposal to question the French on the future trajectory of public finances.

" This idea has penetrated public opinion," François Bayrou said happily on Saturday during a trip to Brest.

"Many French citizens are saying: 'Yes, basically, that we are involved in these decisions for once is something that interests us and is very important.' The political world is a little less enthusiastic, and we understand why: because the direct intervention of citizens changes the balance of power and the debate," the Prime Minister observed.

President Emmanuel Macron also proposed holding several such elections in his 2025 wishes. He may be more specific on the issue during a special broadcast on TF1 on Tuesday evening .

The economy, a privileged subject

When asked "if a referendum were to be held in the coming months, what issues would you like it to cover?", 59% of respondents cited spending, debt, and taxes. Pensions and immigration were tied for second place (52%). Forty-three percent asked to be asked about the end of life, 22% about reducing the number of territorial levels, and 19% about proportional representation.

At the bottom of the table are school schedules and the use of screens and social networks for children (16%). Survey conducted online on May 6 and 7 on a sample of 1,000 people representative of the population aged 18 and over, using the quota method. The margin of error is between 1.4 and 3.1 points.