Almost 40% of respondents would like to see “a strong man” as head of state
The number of French people supporting the political right has grown significantly over the last five years, according to a poll by OpinionWay for Cevipof.
The survey, conducted between December 23, 2021 and January 10, 2022, saw 32% of respondents say they belonged to the right, and 11% to the “extreme right.”
This marks a significant increase on a similar poll conducted in December 2017, when 26% sympathized with the right and 7% with the extreme right.
The poll, conducted ahead of the April 10 presidential election, also revealed that 39% of the population supported “a strong man who does not have to worry about Parliament or elections” as their head of state. 27% consider a military junta to be a good form of government.
Just 17% of survey participants admitted that they supported the left wing, and just 6% the extreme left. 14% call themselves centrists, and 20% of 10,566 respondents do not associate themselves with any specific political leaning.
According to the research, the vast majority of the French population – 63% – believes that “there are too many immigrants,” which is consistent with the growing support for right-wing politicians. However, 57% of people also voiced their support for “taking from the rich to give to the poor” as a way to “establish social justice” – an idea traditionally associated with the left side of the political spectrum.