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 strongman 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.