France has lost 18,000 bars-tobacconists over twenty years, key social hubs. A study links this social erosion to the rise in far-right voting. Researcher Hugo Subtil examines the connection using electoral and economic data.
Between 2002 and 2022, France lost 18,000 bars-tobacconists, such as Le Balto or Le Café des sports, in both urban and rural areas. These spots were more than shops; they were cornerstones of popular social life.
A study released on January 30 by the Centre for Economic Research and its Applications, titled 'When Bars-Tobacconists Close: The Erosion of Local Social Ties and the Rise of Far-Right Voting in France,' delves into these effects. Political scientist Hugo Subtil from the University of Zurich cross-referenced twenty years of closure data—from the French gaming terminals registry—with election results and 2.19 million parliamentary interventions.
Subtil notes that these closures signal 'a silent recomposition of territorial social infrastructure and the erosion of an entire popular way of life.' This loss of local sociability, he argues, fuels the advance of Rassemblement National (RN) voting by weakening traditional community bonds.
The research highlights a quiet devastation reshaping French territories, with deep political implications. It illustrates how the absence of these venues promotes isolation and, consequently, extreme electoral choices.
