The latest edition of the BPCE Assurances Barometer Survey also set out to learn how the French view one particularly significant life-changing milestone: their retirement.
Changing our lives?
With war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, and inflation, the French have been living through an unprecedented period of change since 2020. Do they perceive this highly unstable environment as an opportunity to change their lives? What does the notion of ‘life change’ actually mean to them? While 82% of French respondents express a desire for change (down 4 points vs. 2022), this desire for change is fairly moderate in intensity: 48% want to change little in their lives while 13% want to change nothing at all.
Another lesson to emerge from this research is that the French prefer to secure their future themselves rather than rely exclusively on the public authorities. Only 32% trust the government to protect them from life's risks, while 41% rely primarily on their family and friends.
Retirement: a new chapter in life viewed positively but one that raises questions
The BPCE Assurances Barometer Survey also set out learn more about how the French perceive retirement, a particularly significant moment of change in their lives. The French see the transition from working life to retirement as a positive milestone, an opportunity to refocus on themselves, a moment synonymous with ‘freedom’ for 37% of respondents and with ‘joy’ for 23%.
Retirement is also, however, something that worries the French, a change that rhymes with ‘uncertainty’ for 35% of respondents and represents ‘the unknown’ for 27%. This leads them to prepare for this major change in their lives in advance. A total of 48% say they put money aside for their retirement, including 30% of 18-24 year olds and 47% of 25-34 year olds. The two reasons why the French save for retirement are "to enjoy a decent standard of living" for 39% and "to remain financially independent" for 34%. 47% of French people also admit they are not yet financially prepared for retirement. Among this group, a large majority (71%) say that lack of money is the principal obstacle to being able to save.