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Intermittent voting is on the rise in France. In this article, generational renewal is highlighted as a key factor behind this phenomenon. In addition to cohort effects, however, the importance attributed to the act of voting is also currently shifting. Older cohorts are marked by a culture of deference and voting is a regular occurrence based on a sense of duty, whereas for younger cohorts, voting is more episodic. For the latter, casting one’s ballot is seen as less important than other forms of political action. This development tends to entrench social inequalities through voting. To show this, our analysis uses data from the 2002 to 2017 INSEE electoral participation surveys and the DYNAMOB panel.