The Ipsos-bva survey for the VYV Group reveals a striking development: faced with climate change, the French are not only asking to change the world. They also want to learn to live there while protecting their health.
What changes in our environment changes our view of health
For a long time, environment and health were thought of separately. Today, this boundary seems increasingly difficult to maintain.
This observation clearly emerges from the “ecological transition” section of the Prospective barometer of the VYV Groupcarried out by Ipsos-bva in February 2026 from 2,000 French people representative of the population aged 18 and over. The study focuses on the way in which the French imagine the major transformations of the next ten years and their consequences on health, living conditions and social protection.
And their concern is strong: 90% say they are concerned about the future of the health systemwhile 84% are caused by increased climate risks. But one number perhaps tells this change in perspective better than the others: 77% say they are ready to carry out regular health checks to monitor the impact of the environment on their body.
In other words, climate is no longer just about temperatures or natural disasters. It gradually becomes a matter of personal health.
This concern also extends to the environment as a whole. 82% of French people say they are concerned about the degradation of biodiversityand 81% think that the entire population will be affected by climate and environmental changes in the coming years.
Food, housing, insurance: the fear of a disrupted daily life
What is striking about the responses collected is their very concrete nature. The French are not only talking about melting glaciers or rising temperatures. They already imagine the consequences on their daily lives. 81% think that the regions most exposed to climate change could gradually become depopulated in favor of less vulnerable territories.
And the concerns don’t stop there: 80% anticipate difficulties in accessing certain foodstuffswhile 83% consider it likely that access to insurance will become more complicated in the face of increasing climate risks.
Accommodation. Feed yourself. Move. Protect yourself. Stay healthy. It is therefore a whole way of living that appears in these responses. Climate change ceases to be an abstract question to become, in the minds of the French people interviewed, a factor capable of modifying the very conditions of their daily lives.
And faced with this perspective, a new demand emerges:
no longer just repair, but anticipate.
“Monitor” your environment as you monitor your health?
The study indeed reveals a strong expectation around prevention.
70% of French people consider it desirable to carry out assessments to measure the impact of the environment on their bodyand 70% say they are ready to carry out this type of monitoring themselves. 59% would also occasionally accept measures intended to limit their exposure during episodes of intense pollution.
Behind these figures a new idea emerges: knowing your exposure better to possibly better protect your health.
This evolution does not only concern the body. The barometer also highlights the emergence of issues of
mental health linked to environmental transformationsparticularly around eco-anxiety.
The challenge then is to not let this worry become paralyzing. Because the French do not only project themselves into a future made of constraints. They also imagine solutions.
What if the answer also lies in our ability to adapt?
A majority of those surveyed believe that society will eventually adapt to new environmental realities:
68% consider it likely that the French will adapt to climate risks that have become an integral part of daily life.
- This adaptation begins, for many, with the place where we live. 86% consider it desirable for housing to be adapted to climate change;
- Education also appears to be a major lever:
82% want the environment and sobriety to be taught from a young age; - Finally, 76% consider that solidarity between neighbors and within local communities will be essential to address environmental challenges.
This barometer thus depicts less of a disaster scenario than a change of perspective. The French now seem to consider that protecting their health no longer consists only of taking care of themselves when an illness occurs. It could also mean
anticipate the effects of your environment, adapt your housing, rethink certain lifestyles and strengthen local solidarity.