(AOF) – Nalo, a digital investment and financial advice platform, publishes the results of the second wave of its survey “The French and the democratization of financial culture”, carried out in collaboration with OpinionWay. The study was carried out on a representative sample of 1071 French people aged 18 and over. According to the conclusions of this survey, the French continue to show a very marked interest in savings: 81% of them say they are interested, including 27% who are very interested.
This attraction to savings contrasts with their more reserved interest in financial investments, which only appeals to less than half of them (47%), confirming the persistent gap between the logic of precaution and the investment approach.
Only a little more than a third of French people (36%, -1 point compared to 2025) believe they have a good or excellent financial culture, an almost identical proportion to those who consider it weak (35%, +1 point), 19% of whom consider it very weak, or even non-existent.
A clear preference for secure investments
In addition, the profile of the French investor remains dominated by absolute prudence: 80% of respondents favor solutions combining low risk and limited to moderate gains. In detail, 41% opt for investments offering a low gain and no risk, and 39% for investments combining a moderate gain with limited risk.
Conversely, the appetite for riskier investments remains in the minority: 18% turn to solutions with high risk and high potential gain, including 12% for a potentially high gain associated with a significant risk of loss, and 6% for a very high gain with a very significant risk of loss. This low appetite for risk may explain the French’s disinterest in financial investment in favor of traditional savings.
This logic of prudence of the French is found in the products that they actually hold. If 87% of them have at least one financial product, the choice in favor of secure savings is obvious: 78% hold regulated or bank savings accounts, while life insurance and PER (46%) reflect a desire to plan for the long term.
On the other hand, products associated with financial investment are less popular: only 17% of French people own stock market securities (shares, ETFs…) and 7% cryptocurrencies. More attracted by risky but potentially profitable investments, those under 35 are the most likely to hold stock market products (22%, compared to 16% of those aged 35 and over) and cryptocurrencies (15%, compared to 4%). If men and women hold secure savings products in similar proportions (79% and 77% respectively), the differences are significantly more marked for risky investments: 24% of men own stock market products, compared to 11% of women, and 10% of cryptocurrencies, compared to 4%.
Between social networks and AI: the French get their information widely online, but remain cautious
If the curiosity of the French for financial subjects remains undeniable, it is now based on a diversity of channels. The traditional press remains the reference source for more than one in two French people (55%), but it is closely followed by digital media: YouTube (46%), Facebook (42%) and specialized sites (42%) have become pillars of financial information. WhatsApp (36%), Instagram (34%) and podcasts (31%) also play a notable role. In total, 60% of French people use social networks to find out about saving or investing, and 40% do so at least once a week, a figure that is nevertheless lower than in 2025 (45%, -5 points).
Continuing these digital uses, artificial intelligence is quickly establishing itself as a financial decision-making tool: a quarter of French people already use it to decipher financial concepts (27%) or to compare and obtain recommendations on financial products (23%). While these uses still remain largely educational, a significant portion of savers are nonetheless taking action: 21% of French people use AI to help them make personalized savings or investment decisions and 19% to monitor or optimize their investments.
Finfluencers struggle to inspire trust
When it comes to receiving advice, the French are first and foremost confident in heritage professionals (69%), followed closely by those around them (62%). The media occupy an intermediate position: 47% say they are confident in a specialized media, and 42% in a general media. Conversely, influencers appear to be the least credible actors: only 14% would trust an influencer specializing in finance, and 11% in a general or lifestyle influencer.
Although almost half of French people (46%, -1 point) are aware of the existence of financial influencers, the truly engaged audience remains marginal: only 8% (-2 points) indicate that they actively follow these creators on social networks. Conversely, a majority of the population remains sealed off from this universe: 54% (+2 points) have never heard of it and 26% (+2 points) have heard of it without identifying or following them.
In this environment where trust is placed in traditional players, two levers appear to be decisive in encouraging the French to follow the advice of an influencer: proof of real expertise in personal finances (45%) and total transparency on their commercial collaborations and partnerships (43%). Conversely, the promised financial gains (25%) and their teaching talents (15%) do not constitute decisive factors.
