The French in favour of François Bayrou's referendum proposal, according to a poll

François Bayrou wants to ask the French for their opinion on public expenditure.

The respondents place the economy, pensions and immigration at the top of the topics on which they would like to be questioned, according to an Elabe study for BFMTV published on Sunday.

Let us be clear: no one seriously believes that there is going to be a vote by French citizens on the 2026 budget. But François Bayrou is right on one point: it is a subject that deserves to be taken to the public square and discussed by the whole population.

Ifop pour Ouest France has conducted its political and territorial barometer. On the one hand, 28% of French people approve the action of Emmanuel Macron as President of the Republic (a figure stable compared to last month). On the other hand, 27% of French people approve the action of François Bayrou as Prime Minister (-1 point compared to April). Moreover, 15% of French people do not know the name of their mayor (29% among 18-24 year-olds vs. …

To the question "In recent months, several political figures have mentioned the desire to hold a referendum on various subjects. In principle, are you in favour or opposed to it?", more than one Frenchman in two said he was in favour and 28% very favourable.

According to an Elabe poll for BFMTV, 83% of French people say they are in favour of holding referendums. Public finances, pensions and immigration are at the top of the list of topics they want to see put to the vote.