Twenty-five years later, 9/11 remains a defining moment in the collective memory of the French people

A study published on September 8, 2026, by Ifop, conducted for the B2V Observatory of Memories, confirms the unique place that the September 11, 2001, attacks hold in the French collective memory, a quarter-century after the events. Conducted online on August 25 and 26, 2026, among a representative sample of 1,507 people aged 18 and older, the survey measures both the hierarchy of memory regarding major events of the 21st century and the specific mechanisms underlying the memory of 9/11: what is remembered about it, how people first learned about it, and how it continues to be passed down.

September 11, the second most frequently cited event of the century

When asked about the three most significant international events since the year 2000, the French ranked the COVID-19 pandemic first (53% of responses), followed by the September 11, 2001, attacks (40%). These two events are far ahead of the rest of the ranking. Centered around 9/11 is a coherent cluster shaped by terrorism and conflicts in the Near and Middle East: the rise of ISIS and related attacks (19%), followed by the attack on October 7, 2023, and the war in Gaza (12%). The war in Ukraine (24%) rounds out this conflict-dominated picture, while climate change (25%) is the only long-term crisis to reach a comparable level.

The study emphasizes that this ranking, achieved by the French without direct experience of the events (they were experienced only through screens), is likely also due to the attacks that occurred in France and the cycles of renewed remembrance sparked by the trials and decennial commemorations.

A memory that spans generations

Perceptions of the significance of 9/11 vary little by age: Generation X (49%, who were between 20 and 35 years old in 2001) is the most affected by the event, ahead of millennials (41%), baby boomers, and Generation Z (34% each). Even 18- to 24-year-olds, born after the attacks, mention it at a rate close to the average (36%).

A widely shared “flashback”

85% of French people aged 25 and older say they learned about the attacks on the very same day, 59% watched live coverage as the events were unfolding. Television remains, by far, the primary source of this memory (57%), while the internet plays almost no role (2% for websites and online media, 1% for social media). For generations who did not experience the event firsthand, the story is passed down differently: among 18- to 24-year-olds, school (27%) and friends and family (23%) rank higher than television (19%).

The Towers: A Condensation of Memory

When asked to spontaneously name the locations involved, 74% of French people mentioned New York or the World Trade Center, with 60% explicitly naming the Twin Towers or Ground Zero. Washington and the Pentagon were mentioned by only 25%, while Pennsylvania and Flight 93 were cited by just 3% of respondents. The study also notes that some respondents (5%) still confuse September 11 with the November 13, 2015, attacks in France.

A Framework Centered on Islamist Terrorism

Regarding the causes of the attacks, the dominant interpretation remains that of terrorism and Islamism, cited by 46% of respondents. Geopolitical explanations (U.S. foreign policy, conflicts in the Middle East) are cited by 15% of French people. Conspiracy theories account for only 1% of responses—a level far lower than that observed in the United States.

Finally, in the hierarchy of perceived consequences, the human dimension dominates: the death toll and psychological shock rank first (30%), ahead of fear and a sense of insecurity (17%). The wars and military interventions that followed the attacks—despite being their most significant historical consequence—are mentioned by only 16% of French people. The study notes a marked gender gap on this point: women place greater emphasis on the human toll and trauma (36% versus 22% among men), while men focus more on geopolitical and military aspects.

Methodology: Ifop survey for the B2V Observatory of Memories, conducted online on August 25 and 26, 2026, among a sample of 1,507 people representative of the French population aged 18 and older (quota method, stratified by region and urban area category).

Source: Ifop Group, “The French and the Memory of September 11, 2001”, September 8, 2026.