Killing and sexually assaulting a lot of people didn't do wonders for the approval ratings of Muslim migrants. The French have decided to say non to flooding their country with more heavily armed "widows and orphans".
French public opinion shifted against welcoming refugees to France after terrorist attacks in November, a poll showed Wednesday, ending a brief stretch during which pro and con opinions on the issue were roughly matched.
The Ifop poll for Atlantico, which was conducted online in January after the attacks in Paris and mass sexual assaults on New Year’s Eve in Cologne, showed that 60 percent of respondents opposed welcoming refugees, versus 40 percent who were in favor.
The question is what exactly are those 40 percent thinking? Technically this is a return to the pre-existing consensus. Opposition was as high as 68 to 32 percent last year. Media propaganda presumably evened it out. The graph shows that the media's Kurdi photo spamming seems to have done the trick. Then it seems to have rebounded again in November.
Among the Socialist Party, support is at 71 to 29. Among the Left Front, it's a more even 57 to 43. Among Republicans (the French variety, which used to be UMP) opposition is at 71 to 29. That's huge and a mirror image of the Socialist Party.
Among the National Front, it's 97 to 3 in favor.
There's no gender gap. Not surprising after Cologne. Curiously the age gap is fairly mild too. The highest level of support is among French people who are 65 and over. That's an interesting phenomenon.
The highest level of support is in the Paris metro area where the split is 45 in favor to 55 opposed. When you consider the sizable Muslim population in the area, it's possible that the gap between Paris and the rural areas might not be too high.
Opposition in rural areas is 67 to 33. (The French are like us in that way.)
Hollande voters support more Muslim migrants 59 to 41.
The poll asks about religion to a limited degree. Practicing Catholics are split, 47 in favor, 53 against. Non-practicing Catholics are 67 opposed to 33 in favor. I suppose this may reflect the official position of Pope Francis. It's a perverse irony that this leads to practicing Catholics signing on to the destruction of Catholicism in France.
Those who hold no religion are opposed 55 to 45.
Members of other religions are in favor 54 to 46. This group would certainly include Muslims, but I don't know whether it includes non-Catholic Christians.