Three-Fifths of French Oppose Macron Pension Reform, Poll Shows

James Regan
·2 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Nearly three-fifths of French people oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to overhaul the pension system, with a clear divide between workers and seniors, a survey by pollster Elabe showed.

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Among those still in the labor market, two-thirds are against the reform, while 60% of people who have already retired support it, according to the poll of 1,002 adults carried out late on Tuesday after French PM Elisabeth Borne detailed the proposals.

Borne said the government plans to raise the minimum retirement age gradually to 64 by 2030 from 62, with the aim of eliminating the pension deficit. The bill is due to be submitted to parliament in February, and Macron wants it to come into force by the end of the summer.

The portion of French people who consider that the current system works well has risen to 60% from just over half in September despite the government’s attempts to explain that it needs fixing, the poll carried out for BFM TV showed.

The announcement sparked anger among labor unions, who branded it a “brutal reform” and called for a first day of strikes and demonstrations on Jan. 19.

The percentage of people willing to take to the streets to protest the reform has risen 6 points in one month to 46%, according to Elabe. That is greater than the 37% in a similar poll carried out in November 2019, shortly before Macron abandoned a previous pension-reform plan.

Read more: Macron’s Plan to Make French Work Longer Triggers Strikes

Overall, 60% of those interviewed support or sympathize with the planned protests, with 58% of people saying the reform is unfair. More than 60% think it’s bad timing to reform pensions in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

Macron’s government, which lost its absolute majority in parliament last year, is hoping to garner enough support from the conservative Republicains party to push through the reform, though it may ultimately need to use a special constitutional measure, called 49.3, to bypass a vote if it can’t convince enough lawmakers.

This was reflected in the Elabe poll, which showed three-quarters of respondents think the law will be adopted despite protests.

--With assistance from Zoe Schneeweiss.

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