Four out of five French people consider that living in the countryside is more pleasant. Nature, calm and air quality are the main reasons given.
“Happiness is in the meadow”, such is the conclusion of a Ifop survey for the Familles Rurales association. In total, 81% of respondents believe that living in the countryside corresponds to an ideal lifestyle.
Find the study conducted by @RuralFamilies “Rural territories: perceptions and realities of life”. https://t.co/nTj5ghxnbA @IfopOpinion #rural https://t.co/XPHFJ8H1Tf
– Rural Families (@FamillesRurales) October 9, 2018
Far from pollution and hubbub
The quality of life, calm and a less polluted environment are the criteria put forward to explain this choice of life. Indeed, pollution and automobile traffic continue to degrade the health of residents. A recent Danish study estimated that 10 micrograms of fine particles per cubic meter of air reduce the lifespan of city dwellers by 9 to 11 years.
Several studies highlight a deterioration in the respiratory health of children, whose percentages of asthma and pollen allergy rise from 20 to 30%. Exposure to air pollution also disturbs the pregnant woman by causing epigenetic changes in the placenta, putting the health of the unborn child at risk. Among the other notable consequences of air pollution, it can also be noted that it leads to an increased risk of sleep disturbances.
Facts that explain, in part, why young people are the most sensitive to the charms of the countryside: 60% of those under 25 admit a strong attraction for this way of life, against 45% of the rest of the population. Only 19% of French people say they aspire to a totally urban life, in which they work and live in the city.
The decrease in the cost of living also motivates city dwellers to migrate to the countryside. “Undertaking an ambitious ecological transition plan to preserve and reinforce the quality of life, the main attraction for rural areas, will help meet the main aspiration expressed by the French in this study”, explains the Familles Rurales association.
The rural world “in decline”
But all is not rosy in the countryside. Six out of 10 French people consider the rural world “in decline” and 51% of those who live there feel “abandoned”. Rural people believe that their territories are the most neglected in the metropolis, ahead of “France of the suburbs”.
Among the obstacles to settling in the countryside, firstly the lack of public service (70%) which is highlighted, followed by the lack of job offers (62%) and transport (54%) . The fight against medical deserts, the disappearance of local shops and the decline in the supply of public transport would make it possible to improve the attractiveness of the rural world according to the association Familles Rurales which commissioned the study.
Improving internet access, a priority
Improving internet access is also a priority to meet this need for rural attractiveness. 60% of French people say that if they were to start a business, they would like to do so in rural areas. “This campaign must be equipped, endowed with technological means as in the city. For example, broadband must go everywhere”, pleads Dominique Marmier, the president of the association Familles Rurales. However, the inhabitants of the countryside say that 93% are “satisfied” with living in the rural world. Currently, around 27 million inhabitants live in these rural areas.
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