The government spared no effort last week to try to reassure the French on the eve of a return to school under the sign of a resumption of the coronavirus epidemic. Interministerial meetings, interviews, press conferences… Members of the executive have stepped up their interventions to clarify new health protocols and encourage their fellow citizens to learn to “live with the virus” . But this educational exercise has obviously had no effect on the level of anxiety of the French.
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According to our survey carried out by Odoxa-Dentsu Consulting on Thursday and Friday, while the executive completed the presentation of its measures, 8 out of 10 French people are worried about the country's health situation. A level almost as high as those recorded at the height of the epidemic, in full containment (90% concern in mid-April). According to Odoxa, 7 in 10 French people say they are worried about the health of their loved ones and 55% for their own health. A feeling correlated with the age of those polled: while 18-24 year olds are only 39% to express it, they are 58% among 35-49 year olds and 61% among those 65 and over. “There is an agonizing context linked to the resumption of the epidemic, confirms Gaël Sliman, president of Odoxa.The sequence is very complicated for the executive, which finds itself in an ambivalent position: to explain that the situation is serious, that we must be vigilant in terms of health, without demoralizing public opinion. ”
The anguish of the French in this return is also economic. More than 8 out of 10 respondents are pessimistic about the evolution of growth and purchasing power, an increased concern compared to the start of the summer. They are a little more optimistic about their own situation: 55% say they are worried about their future and nearly one in three workers (32%) are afraid for their own job. A feeling that mainly affects the self-employed (40%), manual workers (41%) and working people with the lowest incomes (39%).
Skeptics of the stimulus
The executive is banking on the presentation, Thursday, of its recovery plan of 100 billion euros: on the menu, in particular, tax cuts for companies, sectoral aid, incentives for hiring and support to the most precarious. But, again, the French are relatively skeptical: 54% of respondents do not trust Jean Castex to offer a good recovery plan. If the Prime Minister succeeds in convincing most of the sympathizers LREM (91%), LR (58%) and PS (57%), mistrust remains in the majority among environmentalists (46% of confidence), supporters of the RN (21 %) and Les Insoumis (11%). "It is a level of confidence not so bad given the ambient pessimism" , relativizes Gaël Sliman.
To read also: Guillaume Tabard: "Covid, recovery plan: the bets of Jean Castex"
The government, on the other hand, does not have to worry about accepting the compulsory wearing of a mask in the centers of large cities. If the implementation of the measure, sometimes confusing, could give rise to political controversies, the French are almost unanimous: 76% of those polled say they are in favor of the generalization of the obligation in all cities. Demonstration, again, of deep anguish among the population. "Since the start of the crisis, the French have said they are ready to give up a part of their freedom in favor of increased health security," Gaël Sliman recalls. On the masks, a minority of opponents made their voice heard, especially on social networks. But it is not representative of public opinion. ”
»See also -« Useless »/« Understandable »: Parisians divided on the obligation to wear a mask in Paris
"Useless" / "Understandable": Ile-de-France residents divided on the obligation to wear a mask in Paris - Watch on Figaro Live