The poll also found that people are hungry for change, but do not think that the new government will be able to “profoundly transform” France.
French people are growing increasingly pessimistic about the future, an opinion poll published on Sunday found.
The poll, conducted by Ifop for the conservative weekly Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD) and the strategic communications institute No Com, showed that 59 per cent of French people are “pessimistic” about the country’s future, up three percentage points from June and 11 percentage points from May.
Only 41 per cent of respondents told pollsters they have “a lot of confidence in the country’s future,” down from 44 per cent in June and 52 per cent in May.
In addition, more than half of those interviewed (55 per cent) think that it will be impossible for centrist president Mr Macron to make good on his key campaign pledge to “profoundly transform” the country, compared to 45 per cent who said the opposite.
Pierre Giacometti, the co-president of No Com, told the JDD the French are “confused” as to how exactly Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government plans to radically transform France, both socially and economically.
He said: “Mr Macron’s first few months in office were very productive, but he has slowed down since. The problem is that the French are tired of broken promises and are impatient for change. As a result, they’re more worried than hopeful about the country’s future.”
Only 33 per cent of French people approve of Mr Macron’s controversial labour code reform, while only 18 per cent approve of his decision to scrap the country’s infamous wealth tax – the impôt de solidarité sur la fortune (ISF), the poll found.
The Ifop poll also found 60 per cent of those interviewed think that their children, nieces and nephews will live “less well” than people do today.
Half of French people (51 per cent), however, are optimistic about their personal futures, up from 47 per cent in June but down from 55 per cent in May.
A total of 2,009 people aged 18 and over were interviewed between November 24-28.