Antibiotic misuse is a global threat and a public health priority. In 2002, France launched what has, up until now, been the best marketing campaign on antibiotics addressed to the general public.

To explore general public knowledge and possible regional factors contributing to antibiotic overuse, we performed a nation-wide quantitative survey (quota methods) of the general public (n = 1200) and general practitioners (n = 301) on their use (or prescription) and knowledge on antibiotics.

Overall, general public knowledge on antibiotics remains low, while and demand is high, a finding confirmed by GPs who feel strongly impelled to prescribe antibiotics. The younger generation (<35-years-old) know less about antibiotics than the older generation (>60-years-old), and manifest greater demand for antibiotics. In our survey, only 49 % of the younger population seemed aware of the fact that antibiotics work on bacteria alone, as opposed to 64 % of the older population (p < 0.001). Another example: 59 % of the respondents thought that it was good to keep antibiotics at home or that taking antibiotics helps to heal faster, as opposed to 26 % of the older population (p < 0.0001). On the other hand, inhabitants of a high-prescribing region were neither worse nor better informed than the rest of the French population.

In conclusion, our study underscores limited knowledge of antibiotics of the younger population, raising questions on how to effectively reach them. As if the case with other public health messages; large-scale nationwide educational program is deeply needed to reach members of all generations: at school, at university, at work and on the social media.