One thousand French people and 300 health professionals were interviewed in January 2020. One thousand people were consulted in September of the same year. Between the two is a pandemic. Logical consequence: the evolution of the French concept of health, especially in terms of research, refers to the Fondation de l’Avenir, which publishes the first medical research scale on the occasion of this World Health Day.
For the first wave, as in the second wave of the survey, health is the topic most cited by respondents as their main concern, ahead of purchasing power and global warming. But “while in January, 39% of the French saw themselves unable to cite a promising topic in medical research, this result had decreased dramatically (-9 points) at the end of the year. [2020], In favor of work on diseases and treatments. The spread of Covid-19 in the media appears to have increased public interest in scientific research.
Infectious diseases
Cancer is one of the most heavily invested in research. However, context requires, 87% of those questioned say they want to research vaccines against the viruses responsible for infectious diseases, including Sars-Cov-2 and HIV, to be a priority. Regarding who should conduct this research, nearly 9 out of 10 French interviewees said they deem it necessary to develop partnerships between public laboratories and private companies.
Nonetheless, French research must remain “ethical, effective, and oriented towards the common good and the benefit of all.” 89% of them consider the French medical research “ethical” (compared to 69% of the French interviewed).
Note: The organizer of World Health Day, the World Health Organization is appealing to leaders around the world. A 5-point call to action: “Accelerate equitable access to anti-Covid-19 technologies between and within countries; invest in primary health care; prioritize health and social protection; build safe, healthy and inclusive neighborhoods; strengthen health data and information systems.”
Measles in France: 10 times fewer cases between 2019 and 2020
