"A distraught France in search of tranquillity": this was the conclusion drawn by Elabe, a consultancy, and the Institut Montaigne, a thinktank, in their third “Baromètre des territoires” (regional barometer), based on a survey of around 100 questions put to more than 10,000 people, released on Tuesday. In the Grand Est region, which borders the grand duchy, "never before have residents been confronted with such an accumulation of shocks and transitions", stressed the report, which cites the current context of multiple crises (inflation, geopolitical crisis, climate crisis, etc.).
In economic terms, the trend in the Grand Est is not very different from the rest of France. Firstly, a climate of insecurity weighs heavily on the daily lives of residents, and 52% say they are exposed and vulnerable to the risk of "having to change their way of life because of a drop in purchasing power". Moreover, 52% fear that they will have difficulty making ends meet, and managers are not excluded from this category. 51% of them fear this, compared with 63% of blue-collar and white-collar workers. In fact, 23% of residents say they are regularly overdrawn from the 18th of the month onwards.
Still on the economic front, households say they are adapting to slow the downturn. 52% are critical of France's economic situation. For them, the country has "lost its economic strength" and for 59%, it is "difficult to do business in France".
The report also highlights a phenomenon of "renunciation”. In other words, people are adapting because of their purchasing power. For example, 76% are cutting back on what they consider to be non-essential expenditure, and 82% are waiting for good deals or promotions before buying. More generally, 65% feel that they are held back in their plans by a lack of financial means (the figure is even higher for the most modest: 70%).
Read also
Ready for change
On a day-to-day basis, the values that are important to the inhabitants of the Grand Est are defined as anchoring, stability and simplicity "for a good life". For 83%, having an open-ended employment contract is important, and for 87%, doing the job they like is part of living well. They are even prepared to earn a little less money to gain more free time (73% of respondents).
With regard to their living environment in general, "climate hazards and health insecurity are undermining people's plans", the report stressed. 79% said they were ready for change, but at the same time, 50% felt exposed and vulnerable to the increasingly harsh living conditions caused by climate change. For 31% of respondents, climate change poses a direct threat to economic activity.
In terms of mobility, people's habits vary depending on whether they live in urban or rural areas. 54% of urban dwellers can take the train over a car, while 40% of rural dwellers are prepared to do so.
The report also looks at more social and societal dimensions, and questions were asked about people's perception of and attachment to their country. 77% of people say they are attached to France, but at the same time 76% feel that the French identity is under threat. The figures also reveal a tarnished view of the situation: for 64%, France is in decline, and for 80%, society is unfair. Attachment to the region is slightly lower: 71% of residents say they are attached to the Grand Est.
Read the original French-language version of this news report /