The results come from a survey conducted by Ifop for French national Le Figaro, and show that "the beach isn't seen as a 'separate' public space, but is considered equivalent to the street," according to Jérôme Fourquet from the polling firm.
There were marked differences in attitudes to the burqini across different age groups, political parties and religious denominations.
Men were slightly more likely than women to oppose the swimsuit, with 68 percent of men against it compared to 60 percent of women, whilst younger people were the most likely to be actively in favour of the garment; 24 percent of 18-24-year-olds came out in support of the burqini, four times the average.
Meanwhile, 73 percent of Catholics were against burqinis being worn on beaches, compared to 57 percent of those who did not identify with any religion.
Right-wing voters were strongly against the burqini, with 86 percent of Front National supporters saying they opposed it, and 76 percent of Republican voters. Among Socialist supporters, there was only a slight tendency to oppose the swimsuit; 52 percent. [The Local] Read more
