Most French negative on capitalism: poll
13/04/2010
French men and women by a large majority contend that capitalism is unjust, benefiting only a small number of people, and want to see a better alterative, a poll published Tuesday showed.
For 71 percent of the people questioned by the Opinonway Institute, "capitalism" evokes a negative response, a sentiment that transcends age and class and is shared by 47 percent of those who consider themselves right wing.
Economic growth under capitalism benefits relatively few people, according to 77 percent of those responding to the survey.
The poll found that the principal charge against capitalism is the fact that it is "always the same people" who benefit from it.
For 87 percent of respondents, the main beneficiaries are shareholders while 67 percent maintain that workers are the first victims.
One French person in two holds that a market-oriented economy is not compatible with policies that respect the environment.
Fifty-eight percent of those polled are convinced that a better system can be devised, a position held by 48 percent of those on the right and 66 percent on the left.
Only 7.0 percent however are confident that significant changes will occur because of the recent global financial crisis.
But while profit and the market are viewed as negative concepts by most French people, money and competition are judged to be positive.
Ninety-two percent hold that the possession of private property is a basic right.
At the same time, 91 percent of those questioned believe that the goal of a company is to earn profits while for 83 percent, the objective is to create jobs.
Sixty percent would describe the French economy as "liberal," based on free-market principles, but is best characterised by the notions of "social protection" and "public spending."
The poll, carried out on February 17 and 18 from a sample of 1,001 people over the age of 18, was published by the Institut de France, which groups five prestigious French academies, including the Academie Francaise, the venerable French language guardian.
expatica.com