Household confidence stable in France in September

Household confidence was stable in France in September, although the current household confidence indicator of 87 remains below the long-term average, new data from Insee has found.

According to Insee, French households‘ views on their personal financial situation showed little movement in September, with the balance of opinion on expected personal finances rising by one point, and moving closer to its long-term average.

At the same time, however, the share of households considering the current economic situation favourable for major purchases fell back by four points, to its lowest level since August 2024.

Ability to save

In September 2025, household expectations about their ability to save showed an improvement, with the balance of opinion on future saving capacity gaining three points. The balance of opinion on current saving capacity rose by two points.

‘The proportion of households believing it is a good idea to save has rebounded slightly,’ Insee noted.

Household views on the current standard of living in France – both past and future – each gained one point, but remain below their long-term average.

Elsewhere, fears about unemployment eased slightly, with the balance of opinion declining by one point after an increase the previous month, though it too remained above its long-term average.

On pricing, the proportion of households who consider that prices will accelerate over the next twelve months ‘has fallen back,’ Insee added. The associated balance of opinion fell by two points, nearing its long-term average.

Insee’s next consumer confidence survey results will be published on 24 October 2025. Read more here.

Sales volumes

Elsewhere, separate data from Insee showed that sales volumes in France’s trade sector declined by 1.3% in July 2025, compared with the previous month. This follows on from a 0.6% increase recorded in June.

France’s retail trade (excluding motor vehicles and motorcycles) also recorded lower activity, with sales down 0.9% after remaining stable in June. Non-specialised stores saw sales decline by 1.5%, while non-store retail, which includes e-commerce and other formats, fell by 1.6%. Specialised stores reported a 0.4% decrease, with notable reductions in fuel sales (-2.2%) and food products (-1.8%). Read more here.