Life in France

The French are leaving?

When you are preparing to move to a new country and even years after you’ve made the leap, naturally you’re looking at all of the advantages offered in your new homeland. We still comment on the quality of life here, affordable healthcare for everyone, efficient public transportation, beautiful landscapes, the rich history and culture, and the sense of community that we’ve found from day one. With that in mind, it came as a surprise to read the results of a survey that was taken at the end of last year regarding the desire of the French to leave this country. About one third of the respondents in general were ready for a change of citizenship status to expatrié(e) while that increases to half if you look only at young people. 

Saint -Jean-de-Côle

So, what’s the rush? According to OpinionWay, the source of the survey, it has to do with “weariness and disenchantment” that is confirmed by their other polls revolving around distrust. Respondents felt that debates in Parliament were no longer taking place, being replaced by blockages and divisive, unilateral decisions being imposed on the people. Interestingly, it’s the supporters of the extreme left and the extreme right who are the most ready to “jump ship”. On the other hand, only 14% of Emmanuel Macron’s voters were ready to go, a figure shared by the other political parties that might be considered more centrist. 

Pujols-le-Haut

And where does everyone want to go? North America tops the list with Canada being the number one choice. Europe is next with Germany and Italy being in the lead, while Africa is below that. Here’s a chart from OpinionWay that shows the favorite choices of destinations.

For comparison, I wanted to see how many French people live outside of this country. According to the United Nations, about 2 million people who were born here, reside elsewhere, primarily in Europe; that is, roughly 3% out of a total population of 67.75 million. The US State Department estimates that 9 million Americans live outside the borders, many in Canada and Mexico; also representing roughly 3% of the total 332 million population.

View from Château Lamostonie

Our experience of staying vs. leaving fits more with another survey released that same week asking, “Are the French becoming homebodies?” regarding the tendency of the French to spend at least some of their vacation right here in the mountains, along the coastal beaches, or in some of the medieval villages of France. Our oldest French friends have a vacation villa in Spain but even after their retirement, that will remain just a get-away rather than becoming their permanent home. Our newest French friends have decided that after living overseas for years, Carcassonne is the place for them. Looks like we’ve all found home.

Photo note: Across the top and in the first paragraph you can see Belvès, a member of “The Most Beautiful Villages in France”.

13 thoughts on “The French are leaving?”

  1. Hi Bob,

    As always I get so excited when I see your blog in my email. I just can’t wait to sit and read all the information you post or to read about all your adventures. I know I want to move to Europe, but nothing influenced my decision as much as reading about your life there. This is the year I get all my ducks in a row so that I can make my move some time in 2025. Your life has been an absolute inspiration. This week’s blog was no different. Absolutely enchanting and informative as always. Keep it coming.

    Chris

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Wow, Chris, thank you, you’ve made our day if not our whole year ! We write about our experiences hoping that it will help others and you have confirmed that. 🤩

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  2. Another thought provoking post. When people are distrustful or disenchanted emigration is one option, but voting for extremism is another. It is that we have to fear most in various parts of Europe this year. Personally I hope voters aren’t sucked into the whirlpool of hate and isolationism that is stirring around us. Best wishes to you both.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks, Gary. I’m expecting the French sense of community expressed in their “fraternité et solidarité” to shine through.

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  3. interesting post Bob. We moved to Montpellier from Canada over 2 years ago and when we chat with “The French” and tell them where we’re from, the response is always: Canada – We love Canada. Digging a little deeper, the majority of them love Quebec. The culture is similar, go to Quebec city and you might think you’re in France. The language (other the accent and certain terms) are identical. They’re not really pushing themselves. One restaurant owner said: You moved from the country that every french person wants to move to! (aka Quebec!!)

    😀

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  4. The French love nothing more than a good moan and they don’t realise what they’ve got! They should go live in UK or US, then they’d better appreciate their good fortune!

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  5. I hope Chris makes it to Europe, and I hope Gary’s concerns don’t come to pass. Like you, Bob, I hope that France will continue to be a political guiding light in Europe, overcoming extremist political threats from wherever they might come.

    It’s interesting to note that the 3% figure is the same in France and the US. I’m guessing it would be similar in most western countries. Thanks for the interesting post!

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  6. Hi, our best friends here in France have 3 adult children. Two of them have opted to move to Canada, where they are well employed as engineers (the profession of their father). Fits with the survey.

    as an aside, my wife and I finally moved to France this week, and look forward to meeting you two in person one day.

    Honey Ward

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  7. “debates in Parliament were no longer taking place, being replaced by blockages and divisive, unilateral decisions being imposed on the people”… same thing here. Many of us would love to escape. But I have to stay, at least until November!

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  8. Hi Bob,

    Very interesting post. I’ve not replied in a while (my wife and I retired and moved from the US last July and now live in the Pays Basque area – just outside of Bayonne / Biarritz).

    I believe that the reason French people surveyed say they would leave France may be a simple case of “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence…”.

    This subject echos a conversation we had with a young woman last night in Biarritz. The young woman previously had done an internship and had spent a year in the US, in Tampa, Florida. Being curious, I asked her if she enjoyed her stay and what she thought of life in the US. She explained that while it had always been a dream to go live in the US, she was very happy to return to live in France. She really had no desire to go back and live in the US. I asked her what she didn’t like and without hesitation she stated the propensity of gun violence and the political divisiveness. I stated that I completely understood and as a matter of fact, those reasons are a very large part of why we moved to France. She then turned the conversation and asked us why we moved here to France and without hesitation I stated”La qualité de vie!”

    Thanks for the great post (as well as all previous posts with great resources and information)

    Sean

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    1. Yes, Sean, we too know about the strong pull of that green grass and we completely agree with you about the quality of life in France. Thanks for reading and for all of your kind comments!

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