You should be wary of concluding stupidity when the French population are skeptical towards government statements. It's a completely different culture to the one you're likely used to. The French frequently have legitimate distrust towards their authorities, and assume based on experience that the government is lying.
This would be a confounding effect when trying to determine whether it was the uncertainty that caused the distrust, or the source of the statement.
I'm familiar with French culture. What about it would you argue makes it more skeptical (as I'm reading what you wrote to mean) than the government-skeptical US population?
This would be a confounding effect when trying to determine whether it was the uncertainty that caused the distrust, or the source of the statement.