Politicians often talk about it, the Montaigne Institute has looked into the issue. According to him, it represents 40% of tax households and pays 100 billion euros in direct taxes. But who, exactly, belongs to this class and how is it characterized?
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The Montaigne Institute, a liberally inspired think tank, explains, in a study published on January 24, that the middle classes are the French who are between the poorest 30% and the richest 20%. That is to say people with monthly income, between 1,400 euros and 3,100 euros net per person. But according to this study, conducted by Lisa Thomas Darbois, there are several strata in what we call the middle class: the lower, middle and upper middle class.
Above all, this category is no longer defined as before, in relation to the professional classification alone. You can, for example, be a manager, practice an intellectual profession, like a teacher and earn a modest income. In short, it is not enough to be active, in fact many retirees are part of the middle class. Emmanuel Macron spoke of “the France of the blind spot, (…) those who are not rich enough to live well and too poor to have assistance”, said the president. Lisa Thomas Darbois is in line with this definition, even if she prefers to talk about France “threshold effects”.
A strong feeling of downgrade
Unsurprisingly, the study highlights the strong feeling of downgrading among the French who contribute very strongly to the social model. The middle class represents 40% of tax households and pays 100 billion euros in direct taxes, without necessarily benefiting from benefits. They have the feeling that the republican fundamentals – merit, work, social advancement – have disappeared and that they live significantly less well than before.
It is interesting to see that, according to the study, their income does not decrease, but it is the very structure of their expenses that changes: constrained expenses are more and more marked. The best example is undoubtedly housing, the middle classes are making more and more efforts to access property, or to stay in central, therefore expensive, areas.
Courted by the political class
She is the subject of all attention. A few months ago Gabriel Attal promised them a big Marshall plan, today he is committing to tax cuts to the tune of two billion euros in 2025. But the problem is, given that a French people in two belong to the middle class, there is a risk of being many disappointed. Ditto for Emmanuel Macron’s promise to have access to a leasing electric car, rented for 100 euros, very few will be eligible.
And the study underlines it: even if today, the French middle class is inhabited by a feeling of vulnerability and worry, it remains little protestant and rather republican. It may not always be this way.