Authoritarian populism is challenging contemporary democracies, raising concerns about their resilience. Using France as a magnifying lens, we show that while the gap between political elites and ordinary citizens is widening, the French remain strongly committed to democratic values, calling for greater participation and responsiveness of institutions. French democracy is on a razor’s edge, with mounting citizen frustrations and awaited reforms.

About the CEE author:

Nonna Mayer is a CNRS Research Director Emerita at the Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics of Sciences Po. She chaired the French Political Science Association (Association française de science politique) from 2005 to 2016. She co-organises with Samy Cohen the methodological research seminar « Les sciences sociales en question. Grandes controverses épistémologiques et méthodologiques » since 2011. She is a member of the French National Consultative Commission for Human Rights (CNCDH) since 2015.

Main research topics

• The electoral dynamic of the RN and of Populist Radical Rights in Europe, with a focus on the impact of gender and sexism on these votes and on the demobilizing effect of social precariousness.
• The transformations of racism and  antisemitism, notably on the base of  data drawn from the annual "Baromètre racisme" of the CNCDH (1990-2023).
• Intercultural relations, between minorities and majority population and between minorities, particularly between Jews and Muslims (see below: « Relations interculturelles : le cas de Sarcelles », « Encounters » and « ReligSpace »)