Favorable opinions fell from 89% in May 2023 to 78%, a drop of 11 points. The survey was conducted on November 10 and 11, in the two days following the announcement, among 1,005 people aged 18 and over, including 645 sports fans.
Teddy Riner's presidential candidacy surprised 82% of French people, according to the Sport Odoxa barometer for Winamax and RTL, released on Sunday. The image of the five-time Olympic judo champion remains high, but it is declining.
The popularity of the multiple world judo champion was slightly affected by this decision. He remains a figure appreciated for his values and for the reassuring image of a champion that he projects.
This attachment does not amount to support for his entry into politics. While 48% consider the candidacy good for the place of sport in the presidential election, 59% believe it is not a good thing for Teddy Riner and 61% that it is not a good thing for French political life.
More generally, 57% of respondents oppose athletes running in an election. On this subject,"the French and sports fans are clearly opposed to an overlap of the roles of president and elite athlete,"according to the poll.
Views are more open when the commitment remains linked to sport. Thus, 74% say they are in favor of athletes becoming sports ministers to defend a cause they know.
They are, however, divided on a more political stance: 51% accept elite athletes speaking out on current events, and 47% approve of them lending their support to a presidential candidate.
The barometer's finding is clear: the French support their favorite athletes when they defend the country's colors on the field, not in politics.
Another survey, conducted on November 12 and 13 among 1,500 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over, using the quota method, measures voting intentions for its part. The margin of error is between 1.1 and 3.1 points.
The National Rally candidate remains far ahead. She is broadly stable, between 31% and 33% depending on the configurations tested.
The France Unbowed candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon gains 1.5 to 2 points and settles into second place, with 17% to 18.5% of voting intentions depending on the scenarios.
After a positive momentum in the wake of the Socialist primary, Raphaël Glucksmann falls by 2 to 2.5 points and obtains between 13% and 14% depending on the configurations.
In the second round, the National Rally candidate would win clearly against Jean-Luc Mélenchon, with 68.5% to 31.5%. Like any opinion survey, these polls remain a snapshot of the moment, with no predictive value.