Stock Market: One-third of French people want to invest in 2024
In 2023, 32% of respondents said they were interested in investing in stocks, which is 7 percentage points higher than in 2022.
After a sharp decline in 2022, more savers are considering investing in stocks in 2023. This renewed interest is driven in particular by those under 35, 43 percent of whom say they are interested in 2023.
The 2023 edition of the AMF Savings and Investment Barometer shows that interest in stock market investing is at its highest level since 2017, the year the barometer was launched. Based on a survey conducted by the Audirep Institute for the AMF in September–October 2023 among a sample of 2,386 people representative of the French population aged 18 and older, it shows an increase in both French people’s interest in stock investments and their confidence in these products. In 2023, 32% of respondents said they were interested in equity investments—7 percentage points more than in 2022—and 28% indicated they had confidence in these types of products, compared with 21% in 2022. When asked whether they could consider investing in stocks over the next 12 months, 27% of French people stated their intention to invest.
This trend coincides with growing confidence among a number of them regarding the outlook for their own economic and financial situation, despite the inflationary environment. Forty-three percent of French people now believe that stock investments will be profitable over the next five years. Last year, that figure was 37 percent. But this trend is also driven by interest among younger people. In fact, 43% of French people under 35 say they are interested in investing in stocks, compared with 30% in 2022. Young people are also more likely to accept a small amount of risk, with a record 48%—10 percentage points higher than in 2022.
On another note, the Barometer also details for the first time how the French public perceives the main characteristics of savings accounts, real estate investment trusts (such as SCPIs), stocks, and crypto-assets. The AMF notes that savers distinguish between these products based more on their level of risk than on their potential return or liquidity. Crypto-assets are considered risky by 65% of French people, followed by stocks, which 56% of respondents consider risky, and real estate investment funds, considered risky by 34% of respondents. Regarding the availability of invested funds, 29% of respondents consider real estate investment funds to be liquid, 34% consider stock investments to be liquid, and 33% consider crypto-assets to be liquid.
Overall, the average length of time French people are willing to keep their money tied up is rising from 4.2 years in 2022 to 5.7 years in 2023. This positive trend is once again driven by young people, 25% of whom are willing to keep their money tied up for more than 10 years, compared with 12% of those aged 35–54.
When it comes to scams, 15% of respondents say they have been the victim of a financial investment scam, and among them, 35% are under 35, compared to 6% of those aged 55 and older. “One cannot help but be struck by the number of French people who say they have been victims of a financial scam: 15%, and 35% among young people—that’s significant! I particularly caution younger people against the information and offers circulating on social media, which are sometimes shared by influencers. Watch out for scams! An investment must be carefully considered, and you should educate yourself by reading regulatory documents and visiting our website,” said AMF Chair Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani.
