Citizen satisfaction with democracy in France
France: Citizen satisfaction with democracy was -0.0774 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Citizen satisfaction with democracy in France, 1973–2020
Source: Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, citizen satisfaction with democracy in France stood at -0.0774.
That represents a change of down 8.7% on the previous year and down 274.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, citizen satisfaction with democracy in France peaked at 0.3174 in 2007 and was at its lowest, -0.5063, in 1980.
That places France 67th out of 131 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Citizen satisfaction with democracy in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | -0.4475 | — |
| 1974 | -0.438 | -2.1% |
| 1975 | -0.425 | -3.0% |
| 1976 | -0.414 | -2.6% |
| 1977 | -0.3754 | -9.3% |
| 1978 | -0.4143 | +10.4% |
| 1979 | -0.4937 | +19.2% |
| 1980 | -0.5063 | +2.5% |
| 1981 | -0.3071 | -39.3% |
| 1982 | -0.3768 | +22.7% |
| 1983 | -0.4659 | +23.7% |
| 1984 | -0.4917 | +5.5% |
| 1985 | -0.4068 | -17.3% |
| 1986 | -0.2253 | -44.6% |
| 1987 | -0.1362 | -39.6% |
| 1988 | -0.0331 | -75.7% |
| 1989 | -0.0196 | -40.8% |
| 1990 | -0.12 | +512.5% |
| 1991 | -0.1453 | +21.1% |
| 1992 | -0.277 | +90.6% |
| 1993 | -0.2538 | -8.4% |
| 1994 | -0.1404 | -44.7% |
| 1995 | -0.19 | +35.3% |
| 1996 | -0.2205 | +16.1% |
| 1997 | -0.2487 | +12.8% |
| 1998 | -0.2113 | -15.0% |
| 1999 | 0.1171 | -155.4% |
| 2000 | 0.2125 | +81.5% |
| 2001 | 0.0808 | -62.0% |
| 2002 | 0.173 | +114.0% |
| 2003 | 0.2313 | +33.7% |
| 2004 | 0.1812 | -21.6% |
| 2005 | 0.1054 | -41.8% |
| 2006 | 0.0635 | -39.8% |
| 2007 | 0.3174 | +399.7% |
| 2008 | 0.1195 | -62.3% |
| 2009 | 0.0827 | -30.8% |
| 2010 | 0.0443 | -46.4% |
| 2011 | 0.1313 | +196.1% |
| 2012 | 0.2691 | +105.0% |
| 2013 | 0.0319 | -88.1% |
| 2014 | -0.1067 | -434.2% |
| 2015 | -0.1821 | +70.7% |
| 2016 | -0.2292 | +25.9% |
| 2017 | -0.1191 | -48.0% |
| 2018 | -0.0011 | -99.1% |
| 2019 | -0.0712 | +6225.5% |
| 2020 | -0.0774 | +8.7% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's -0.0774 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.303. (47 countries reporting)
- France's -0.0774 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is -0.0062, 12.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Citizen satisfaction with democracy in France changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | -6225.5% | -0.0011 | -0.0712 |
| 1990 | -512.5% | -0.0196 | -0.12 |
| 2014 | -434.2% | 0.0319 | -0.1067 |
| 2007 | +399.7% | 0.0635 | 0.3174 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -0.4297 | -0.4937 | -0.3754 | 7 |
| 1980s | -0.2969 | -0.5063 | -0.0196 | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.169 | -0.277 | 0.1171 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1567 | 0.0635 | 0.3174 | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.0233 | -0.2292 | 0.2691 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.0774 | -0.0774 | -0.0774 | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
More social development data for France
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 788,419 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 166 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 166 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0115 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is citizen satisfaction with democracy in France?
- Citizen satisfaction with democracy in France was -0.0774 in 2020, according to Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest citizen satisfaction with democracy recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3174 in 2007.
- What is the lowest citizen satisfaction with democracy recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.5063 in 1980.
- How does France rank for citizen satisfaction with democracy?
- France ranks 67th out of 131 countries with data for 2020.
- Is citizen satisfaction with democracy rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 274.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Citizen satisfaction with democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the average extent to which citizens are satisfied with democracy in their own country. It combines responses across more than one thousand nationally-representative surveys on how citizens' satisfaction with democracy.