It is well known that the French like to save. It is not for nothing that our country has the highest savings rate in all of Europe. However, favorite investments evolve fairly regularly in line with macroeconomic movements. If the favorite has long been rental property, Livret A has recently, after the reassessment of its remuneration rate, is today the life insurance that concentrates the public interest, according to the latest survey annual meeting of the Amphitéa-Le Cercle de l’évolution on ” The French, savings and retirement” (conducted from 6 to 7 March 2024 with a representative sample of 1,035 people).
Unsurprisingly, this placement is popular with those over 65, who consider it a tool for both caution and transmission. Younger people prefer to mix Livret A with riskier products such as bitcoin. Also note the big breakthrough in PER, which is considered the best way to improve your pension (especially among the middle class) and is even a hit among 18-24 year olds.
“In this context, PER has a strong influence, by offering the possibility of balancing an outflow in annuity and capital,” explains Jérôme Jaffré, president of the Center for Studies and Knowledge of Public Opinion (Cecop), who, however, fears excess confidence among subscribers for this product. In fact, savers still seem to prefer annuity payments, which reassures them more.
Regarding retirement, concern is increasingly widespread. Thus, only 29% of the respondents who have not yet retired believe that their pension will be sufficient. Women are even more skeptical, with a percentage reaching only 21%. It is clear that the pension reform does not appear to have reassured households about the ability to maintain their living standards in the coming years. As a logical consequence of this fear, non-retirees are saving more (58% compared to 51% a year earlier).
The French are not apart from a contradiction, at the same time 48% of them believe that the care of dependency falls under Social Security. Only 26% of them are willing to sell their home or draw on their savings (PER, life insurance, etc.) and 14% say they are ready to take out long-term care insurance.
