Elisabeth Borne and the new ministers will have to convince the French. For the moment, they do not take a favorable view of the composition of the government, according to an Elabe poll for L’Express and BFM TV, in partnership with SFR. Some 58% of French people say they are unhappy with the composition of the new government (41% saying they are rather unhappy and 17% very unhappy). Conversely, 40% say they are satisfied.
This is a significantly lower level of satisfaction than that measured for the Philippe 1 (61% satisfied) and Philippe 2 (59% satisfied) governments, and at the same level as the reshuffled government of October 2018 which had seen in particular the appointment of Christophe Castaner to the post of Minister of the Interior following the departure of Gérard Collomb (43% satisfied), specifies Elabe.
The French are more divided on Elisabeth Borne: 34% (-2 points in one week) of the French believe that her appointment as Prime Minister is a good thing for France, including 25% (-2) a fairly good thing and 9% (=) a very good thing. Conversely, 31% (5) consider this nomination to be a bad thing, including 17% (4) a fairly bad thing and 14% (1) a very bad thing. To date, 35% (-3) of French people have no opinion on this appointment.
Nearly two out of three French people (65%) believe that this government will not be effective in responding to the main problems facing the country. Conversely, 33% of them believe that it will be effective. This is a much more critical judgment than that measured for the Philippe 1 (65% effective) and Philippe 2 (53% effective) governments, and at the same level as the reshuffled government of October 2018.
Only Emmanuel Macron’s voters believe that this new government will be effective (80%). The other main electorates are very pessimistic, in particular those of Eric Zemmour (91% not effective), Marine Le Pen (85%) and Jean-Luc Mélenchon (79%). Pessimism is also shared by abstentionists (69%).
In detail, 71% of French people think that this government will not be effective in improving their purchasing power, 71% in reducing social inequalities, 69% in carrying out a good immigration policy, 68% in taking up the ecological challenge. , 67% to improve the health system, 65% to improve security, 65% to carry out a good education policy and 60% to improve the economic dynamics of the country.
For public opinion, moreover, the new Borne government is rather equal but it lacks renewal, weight in the policy that will be carried out and political balance. A small (relative) majority of French people recognize the existence of real gender parity in the new government (38%, against 23% believing that the most important ministers are men and 39% having no opinion ).
The French, on the other hand, are very divided on the diversity of profiles (30% evoking a real diversity, 30% deploring that there is not enough diversity and 40% having no opinion). A small (relative) majority of French people have a rather negative view of the lack of importance given to ecological issues (34% not giving enough importance, 28% giving enough importance and 38% not having any opinion), experience (33% not enough experience, 25% has experience, 42% no opinion) and political balance (36% not finding it politically well balanced, 23% judging it to be well balanced and 41% having no opinion).
Public opinion is also quite critical of renewal (48% believing that there is not enough renewal, 20% finding that there is a real renewal and 32% having no opinion) . She is also quite critical of the weight of the government in the policy pursued: for 52% of French people, it will only apply the decisions of Emmanuel Macron, against 17% believing that it will weigh in the policy conducted and 31% having no opinion.
In the eyes of the French, this Borne government does not embody the novelty promised by Emmanuel Macron. During his inauguration for his second term, the President of the Republic had indeed declared that “the people have entrusted a new president with a new mandate”. But for 70% of French people, this government does not embody novelty, a “new mandate”, with 38% answering “not really” and 32% “not at all”. Conversely, 29% consider that it embodies novelty, including 25% rather and 4% completely.
Moreover, while Minister Damien Abad, in charge of Solidarity, Autonomy and People with Disabilities, is accused by two women of rape in 2010 and 2011, allegations that he rejects, a small majority of French people (53% ) thinks that a member of the government facing accusations of rape or sexual assault should resign. On the contrary, 46% believe that as long as justice has not been pronounced, there is a presumption of innocence and a member of the government should not resign.
Sample of 1001 people representative of residents of mainland France aged 18 and over. The representativeness of the sample was ensured according to the quota method applied to the following variables: sex, age and profession of the interviewee after stratification by region and category of agglomeration. Interview by Internet from May 23 to 24, 2022.
