Macron, Castex popularity ratings recover as Covid outlook brightens

French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Jean Castex have garnered a respective 3 and 4 percent rise in their popularity ratings according to a poll for the month of May.

French President Emmanuel Macron and French Prime Minister Jean Castex attend a ceremony to mark the end of World War II at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France May 8, 2021. REUTERS - CHRISTIAN HARTMANN

According to an Ifop poll for the French weekly Journal du Dimanche, 40 percent of French people say they are satisfied with the head of state, particularly among young voters, with a rating of 51 percent among 18-24-year-olds.

This marks an increase of 8 points compared to April.

#Observatoire de la politique nationale @BVA_France @orangenewsfr @RTLFrance

Nette hausse de la popularité du couple exécutif alors que la situation sanitaire s’améliore doucement pic.twitter.com/YkFLOo0i1o

— Adélaïde Z (@AZulfikarpasic) May 21, 2021

LREM attracting the right

Macron is also gaining ground among the right wing, with one month to go before departmental and regional elections: +4 points among conservative Les Républicains supporters (34 percent satisfied) and +6 points among the far-right National Rally (19 percent).

After a long period of closure for small to medium enterprises due to the Covid pandemic – and despite government aid and the progressive reopening of the economy – the president's rating has plummeted by 19 points among craftsmen and shopkeepers, with a third of those polled saying they are satisfied with Macron's handling of affairs.

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As for Prime Minister Jean Castex, his popularity now stands at 38 percent, the highest in six months.

The survey was carried out through an online questionnaire and by telephone from 12 to 20 May 2021, following a quota method with a sample of 1,928 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over.