More than 1,700 mayors in total responded to the two data collections in the first half of 2024 for this study described as unprecedented on the mental health of local elected officials in a country with the largest number of mayors in the world (34,893), explain the authors, professors Olivier Torres and Mathieu Le Moal of the Amarok Observatory and the Entreprendre laboratory at the University of Montpellier.
The study found that 69.3% of mayors reported positive satisfaction, a result “which contrasts with the general perception” given “the public debates and challenges that elected officials face”. More than 45% of them reported a satisfaction of 7 or 8 on a scale of 10. Conversely, 6.9% of elected officials said they were very dissatisfied.
The most intense stressors are administrative complexity and burden, workload, lack of time and difficulties related to grants.
More worrying: 31.40% of French mayors say they experience a presence of exhaustion in their function and even 3.48% of them say they are in a situation of severe exhaustion, which would correspond to a range of approximately 1,200 mayors currently in France, details this survey. This risk is even higher among female mayors.
Risk of burnout
“The risk of mayoral burnout is a curious mix between the frenetic syndrome and the impediment syndrome. French mayors are both very invested but very impeded (feeling of helplessness). They suffer from a form of frustration exhaustion syndrome,” according to the authors. “The most intense stressors are administrative complexity and burden, workload, lack of time and difficulties related to subsidies.”
These results “highlight the dangers of the mayor’s role that must be addressed, but also the many sources of satisfaction and pride in this role, including the completion of projects. Nevertheless, noting that more than 1,200 mayors in France are at severe risk of burnout is a figure that should concern us all,” reacted John Billard, mayor of Favril (Eure-et-Loir), a village of around 400 inhabitants, and general secretary of the AMRF, quoted in the press kit.
