“50 cards to see before going to vote”, the tool to understand today’s France

Frédéric Gili, professor at the School of Urban Planning at Sciences Po and statistician, co-wrote “50 maps to see before going to vote”. A book that analyzes demography, the economy and urban planning. Journalist Sofia Dollé presents three cards on the 23h set of franceinfo. “First of all, we learn that 79.4% of births in metropolitan France come from couples where both parents are French. On the map, the darker the departments, the more mixed couples there are, as in Ile-de-France. -France, in border regions and near the Mediterranean arc”she explains.

Another card in the book talks about “wildness”: “We manage to take a picture of the feeling of insecurity thanks to the cards”. The 3rd card chosen speaks of the attractiveness of France: “We must focus on the northeast region. There are a large number of foreign companies in this area”.

Should Valérie Pécresse have taken a look at these cards before embarking on the big replacement? “Everyone should do it. Many theses in the public debate irritate researchers. Everyone knows that the figures on which they are based are torn. We decided to approach the problem differently, namely, that if there are so many false debates in the public space, there is necessarily a reason”, says Frédéric Gili. According to him, the decline of France is a false debate, but if we have been talking about it for forty years “there is something”he said. “We don’t realize how much we are destroying our youth, the ones who will invent the jobs of tomorrow. They say we are an aging country, but in 2050 there will be more young people in France than ‘today”he says.

“We thought of going around campaign headquarters to distribute the book. To suggest that they ask themselves the right questions. We don’t have the answers”, points out Frédéric Gili. He also explains that France is faced with the need to “redefine” its social pact and “reconnecting its national narrative with the 21st century”.