The Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES) publishes a study on French people’s opinion on non-recourse and the reasons for it, as well as on knowledge of the main social benefits. This study highlights the fact that, according to the French, the non-take-up is a significant phenomenon which would be explained mainly by the lack of information as to the aid or organizations to which to apply. Nevertheless, this alleged reason to explain the non-recourse appears less significant than a few years ago.

The lack of information, down, remains the main reason given to explain the non-use

In 2021, according to the DREES Opinion Barometer, nearly three quarters of people residing in metropolitan France consider that the non-use of social assistance is high. This opinion is less shared by executives and liberal professions, as well as by those who consider themselves less attached to public intervention.

Nearly four out of ten people surveyed believe that the lack of information on aid is the main cause of non-take-up. The second most advanced reason, by almost one in four people, is the complexity of the procedures (23%), followed by the fear of negative consequences (18%) and the desire to manage on their own without depending social assistance or not being considered as a recipient (16%). Lack of information, although it remains the main reason for non-take-up most often mentioned by respondents, is however less and less so. Its share has fallen by 17 percentage points between 2016 and 2021, mainly due to the fear of suffering negative consequences (graph).

Varying knowledge of the different social benefits

Echoing the reasons that would explain the non-use, the Opinion Barometer also questions the French on their knowledge of the main social benefits. The results of the survey show that the more a service is known, the more precisely it is known. In addition, the degree of precise knowledge of a benefit is – unsurprisingly – more pronounced among its beneficiaries and more generally among the target populations of social assistance (single-parent families, the poorest 20%, social housing tenants). However, it is also high among women and among people living in medium-sized urban areas. Young people systematically have less knowledge of benefits than older people, especially that of 35-49 year olds. Finally, all other things being equal, precise knowledge of the RSA, the activity bonus, the AAH, the APA and the minimum old-age pension (Aspa) is much less frequent among immigrants than among people born in France.

Social benefits: for four out of ten people, non-take-up is mainly linked to a lack of information, Études et results, N° 1263, 12 avril 2023