Pouvoir d'achat : au secours, la crise revient ! - C dans l’air - 15.05.2026

Even more videos 👉 https://www.france.tv/france-5/c-dans... Subscribe https://youtube.com/@Cdanslairofficie... Purchasing power: Help, the crisis is back! With soaring prices since the start of the war in the Middle East, and ever-increasing fuel costs, the French are changing their habits and consuming less. They are using their cars less when they can, favoring public transportation, carpooling, teleworking, and buses and trains. As a result, fuel consumption fell by 30% in the first ten days of May. A dramatic drop. However, since more than half the price of fuel consists of taxes—VAT and TICPE in particular—selling less fuel automatically means less revenue for public finances. Sébastien Lecornu announced a drop of approximately 300 million euros. And while many French people took to their cars for four-day getaways this Ascension weekend, they opted to travel shorter distances than usual. This behavior is also observed among our European neighbors, much to the dismay of tourism professionals. Beyond this sector, indicators for the French economy as a whole are beginning to flash red. French growth has stalled. Economic activity stagnated in the first quarter, weighed down by sluggish consumption, and the central bank has not issued any specific forecasts for the second quarter. Business bankruptcies nearly reached the symbolic threshold of 70,000 last March, according to data from the Bank of France, and, for the fifth consecutive quarter, unemployment is rising. It has reached 8.1%, its highest level in five years. Thus, just over 21% of young French workers are unemployed, one of the worst figures in Europe. At the same time, only 60% of those aged 55 and over are employed, a rate still significantly lower than the European average. Seniors also remain unemployed much longer than their European counterparts. As clouds gather over the economy, the Prime Minister continues to rely on targeted and flexible aid, but the pressure is mounting. According to an Ipsos BVA study published at the end of April, 74% of motorists say they have reduced their travel since the start of the conflict, and 63% of French people say that government aid is "not adapted to the situation of the most vulnerable populations." The decree on the terms of the fuel allowance for "low-income, high-mileage workers" has just been published, and a new system is expected at the beginning of June. The government has been working for several weeks on new measures to support the purchasing power of the French, while the profits of oil giants have reignited the debate on taxing "super-profits." Our experts: Gaëlle Macke - Deputy Editor of Challenges Caroline Michel-Aguirre - Senior Reporter at Le Nouvel Obs Patrice Geoffron - Professor of Economics – Paris Dauphine University, Director of the Center for Geopolitics of Energy Gaël Sliman - President and Co-founder - Odoxa Polling Institute Find us on: | Our website: https://www.france.tv/france-5/c-dans... | Facebook:   / cdanslairf5   | Twitter:   / cdanslair   | Instagram:   / cdanslair   Airing: Monday to Saturday at 5:40 PM Short Length: 65 minutes Hosted by: Caroline Roux and Aurélie Casse Produced by: France Télévisions/Maximal Productions