A Recent Survey on French Attitudes Towards Population Dynamics in France and Worldwide

In 2018, the POP-AWARE survey was administered to members of the ELIPSS panel, a representative sample of the French population. Exploring both their knowledge and opinions of demographic trends in France and worldwide, this survey pursues a two-fold objective: first, it reiterates questions posed decades earlier on the situation in France, providing scope for comparisons over time; second, it introduces new considerations by extending its range of enquiry to include global issues. Almost irrespective of the respondents' sociodemographic profiles and political opinions, demographic questions are seen as important. Respondents also express a preference for population stability over decline, despite an increase in opinions, among young people especially, linking population dynamics with environmental problems. Awareness of population questions is high, thanks to coverage in the media and in school curricula. This is not a recent development: it has been highlighted by numerous public opinion surveys over the last six decades. It would be useful to conduct similar surveys in other countries to identify variations, across space and time, in the expression of this interest in demography.