A survey carried out by the IFOP shows that the French’s relationship with death has evolved over the last forty years. The choices made today when dying have changed a lot, especially among women.
The French’s relationship with death is evolving as shown by an IFOP survey carried out for Plaquedeces.fr. After questioning 1013 people aged 18 and over on their beliefs And last wishesthe IFOP confirms two trends observed for several decades, in this case the clear reduction in the use of religious funerals And Above all the choice of cremation rather than burial among a majority of French people. If this option was minority in the 1980s -only 20% of those questioned chose cremation- it has clearly progressed to the point of being preferred by half of French people today. So 50% of French people preferred to be cremated rather than buried, a proportion which has more than doubled in 40 years.
In the survey, the women were more likely to choose cremation (54% versus 45% among men). Likewise, the people aged over 65 are the most numerous to opt for incineration (64% versus 30% among those under 35). The choice of the type of funeral results from various beliefs. For 44% of French people, the environmental criterion comes into play when deciding between burial and cremation. Furthermore, the most religious profiles are those who take the environment more into consideration: they are 58% among practicing believers compared to 35% among atheists.
As a reminder, the cremation is a funeral technique which consists of burning the body of the deceased person to reduce it to ashes which is then placed in a funeral urn. Cremation takes place in a crematorium within 6 days of death. The family of the deceased collects the urn and can place in the cemetery or scatter the ashes in nature. 63% of French people surveyed by the IFOP are also in favor of scattering ashes in nature, which is authorized by law. It is also interesting to note that 11% of French people would like to send their ashes into space.
Burial refers to placing the body of the deceased in a coffin underground. The funeral is organized by funeral home employees. It is up to the deceased to choose what they prefer for their funeral between burial and cremation. In the absence of a clearly communicated decision, this decision rests with the family.