Credits: PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY Official website / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 4.0.
Measured by the Ifop–JDD barometer, the November 2025 barometer places Emmanuel Macron at 16% satisfied and Sébastien Lecornu at 34%. Conducted in France from November 13 to 21, the survey confirms acute distrust, fueled by the dissolution–2026 budget sequence around Macron’s popularity. Presidential unpopularity now “contaminates” Matignon, a central issue for governance in the coming weeks.
A President On The Floor, A Prime Minister Dragged Down
The Ifop poll on Macron for the JDD sets a clear course: only 16% of French people in metropolitan France say they are satisfied with Emmanuel Macron, for the second consecutive time in November 2025. At the same time, Sébastien Lecornu’s popularity slips to 34% satisfied (–4 points in one month). The snapshot was taken from November 13 to 21, 2025. It concerns a sample of about 2,000 people interviewed online using quota sampling. It also records a record level of “very dissatisfied” toward the head of state: 56%.
At this stage, the sequence reads in the immediate past: despite reshuffles and calls for compromise, the executive remains weighed down by massive distrust. Lecornu’s popularity remains less rejected than the president’s: the prime minister, long seen as a calming interlocutor, now sees his curve approach that of the president.
The Presidential Fall That Continues
Since the fall, Macron’s popularity has settled at a macron approval rating low plateau. The 16% satisfied, already measured in October 2025, do not rebound. This low-level stability is all the more striking. Indeed, the share of “very dissatisfied” climbs to 56%. This is a sign of a hard and lasting rejection. In categories traditionally more favorable to the president, distrust is also rising, reducing the space for a possible rebound.
In historical comparisons, Emmanuel Macron flirts with François Hollande’s record. Hollande had 13% favorable opinions in September and then November 2014. The mechanism is known: when the base shrinks, oppositions add up their grievances. Consequently, every political event, even minor, becomes costly for the occupant of the Élysée.
"Contamination": The Ripple Effect On Sébastien Lecornu
Until now, Sébastien Lecornu embodied dialogue and de-escalation. He remains less rejected than the president: only 25% “very dissatisfied” with him. But the capillarity effect is setting in. For Frédéric Dabi, Ifop’s director general of opinion, “even the most soothing figure of Macronism is beginning to be contaminated by presidential unpopularity.” This “contamination” partly explains the 4-point drop this month.
In public opinion, the prime minister also suffers from a charge of immobility. Moreover, his image as a “Macron man” is seen as too loyal to the head of state. His goodwill capital does not disappear, but it erodes when the context turns against the executive.
What the French Blame
Criticisms converge around three axes:
- the impression of abandoning domestic policy in favor of international crises
- the responsibility attributed to the president for the political chaos born of the dissolution of the National Assembly
- ongoing economic difficulties (prices, purchasing power, budgetary uncertainties)
These grievances frame the public debate and feed a climate of weariness. They weigh on the executive couple’s ability to set a narrative and rally beyond its base.
Budget 2026: The Battle That Crystallized Distrust
The budget campaign acted as an accelerator. The executive defended a 2026 project presented as a compromise. In the National Assembly, the text met almost unanimous rejection. This illustrates the deadlock caused by the dissolution and the absence of a stable majority. In this environment saturated with parliamentary hostility, every concession reinforces the idea of a power endured rather than led.
For Sébastien Lecornu, engaged in long-running negotiations, the episode left the imprint of constrained steering. In the public eye, the tightrope between ‘staying the course’ and ‘immobility’ becomes hard to read.
Box – Methodology And Limits
- Fieldwork: November 13 to 21, 2025
- Collection mode: self-administered online questionnaire
- Sample: about 2,000 people, representative of those 18 and over (quota method)
- Key indicators: 16% satisfied for Emmanuel Macron, 84% dissatisfied including 56% “very dissatisfied”; 34% satisfied for Sébastien Lecornu (–4 points)
- Margin of error: around 1 to 2.2 points depending on the items
Essential reminder: a poll is a dated snapshot of opinions. The results describe a state at a given moment; they do not predict the future.
Benchmarks – The Hollande Precedent
The unpopularity record remains attributed to François Hollande, measured at 13% favorable opinions in September and then November 2014. This milestone now serves as a horizon to qualify Emmanuel Macron’s situation.
The comparison has its limits: the economy, international context and the structure of the political offer differ. However, it reveals a level of isolation in opinion and a hardening of judgments. Indeed, the “very dissatisfied” category becomes majority.
A Two-Speed Trajectory
If you overlay the curves, the executive seems out of sync. Indeed, this situation shows a lack of coordination.
- on the Élysée side, a reduced and little-volatile support core
- on the Matignon side, a credibility capital that holds up better, but erodes in contact with crises, to the point of now mimicking the presidential slope
This convergence does not mean perfect identity of judgments. Sébastien Lecornu retains a relative advantage: more “rather satisfied,” fewer radical rejections. This gap, if it narrowed further, would weaken the role of lightning rod traditionally attributed to the prime minister. Indeed, this reduction could compromise his protective role.
The Political Drivers Of The Moment
- Economic credibility: the budget sequence hardened lines between blocs. Late trade-offs feed the idea of a battered course.
- Relation to the country: a reproach of distance returns, against a background of high-profile international trips while the domestic agenda seems fragmented.
- Dissolution and governability: the shifting geometry of votes and compromises maintains an impression of institutional drift.
What Could Happen?
- Low stabilization: the executive maintains, for better or worse, a limited base. The opposition remains fragmented and parliamentary balances do not move.
- Temporary rebound: a budget agreement or success on a concrete issue can momentarily lift judgments, without reversing the trend.
- New erosion: if bad signals accumulate (economy, public order, political mishaps), the gap with the Hollande record could narrow further.
In all three scenarios, Sébastien Lecornu’s role remains pivotal: if he becomes again a credible intermediary between the Élysée and the Assembly, he can slow the contamination effect. Conversely, if the perception of alignment prevails, his moderate supporters could in turn switch.
A Psychological Lock
The level below the 20% mark for Emmanuel Macron, repeated two months in a row, acts as a psychological lock. It structures the reading of events and recomposes the prime minister’s place, now exposed. The battle will not be limited to parliamentary negotiations. Indeed, it requires restoring a readable narrative and providing concrete proofs on purchasing power. Moreover, political gestures are needed that can reduce a distrust that has become systemic.