Budget. 84% of French people oppose the elimination of two public holidays proposed by Bayrou.

The French are overwhelmingly opposed, 84% against 16% who are in favour, to the abolition of two public holidays proposed by Prime Minister François Bayrou in his plan to restore public finances.

In mid-July, the head of government proposed eliminating Easter Monday and May 8, a measure intended to generate 4.2 billion euros of the approximately 44 billion euros in savings he hopes to achieve in the 2026 budget.

In this Odoxa poll published Sunday by Le Parisien, respondents are almost as opposed to the elimination of just one of these two public holidays (83%). Eighty percent also consider the elimination of public holidays to be a "disguised tax," while 66% "do not see the connection between working more and improving France's debt and deficits."

"The French don't want this. They value their work-life balance, and this measure is seen as violent and detrimental," said Gaël Sliman, president of Odoxa, in the columns of Le Parisien.

François Bayrou will hold a press conference on Monday marking the beginning of a very perilous period for his government, which is threatened with censorship of its budgetary plans by the left and the National Rally.

He also faces calls to shut down the country by September 10, supported by the left.

Survey conducted by Odoxa for Le Parisien, with a sample of 1,004 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over, constituted according to the quota method, questioned online from August 20 to 21, 2025.