Poll: Public Opinion of Pope Francis, Catholic Church Holds Steady

ST. LEO, FL — Public opinion of Pope Francis is holding steady, according to a new Saint Leo University Polling Institute survey with 54.4 percent of national poll respondents holding a favorable opinion of the pope. This was statistically the same as polling in October 2021 (54 percent held positive opinion) and February 2021 (55.6 percent held favorable opinion.

Among Catholics nationally, the pope’s popularity increased with a favorable opinion rating of 78.9 percent, which went up from 73.2 percent in October 2021.

Polling was conducted online Feb. 28 through March 12, among 1,000 total respondents nationally. The resulting margin of error for the results is 3.0 percentage points in either direction. In Florida, where the Saint Leo University’s residential campus is located, 500 additional people were polled. The margin of error for the responses is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

As part of a Catholic Benedictine university, the polling institute at Saint Leo University in Florida regularly covers Americans’ attitudes concerning Pope Francis and the Catholic Church in America.

Among other issues, the Saint Leo poll also examined opinions about statements made by Pope Francis regarding pet owners being selfish for preferring to have animals rather than children, and the poll asked about the pope’s admonition to parents to be supportive of their gay children.

In addition, the poll measured Americans’ and Floridians’ opinions about the Catholic Church and issues such as denying Communion to political leaders who support legal access to abortion and politicians using their faith to make decisions.

Read the full results here.

This press release was produced by Saint Leo University. The views expressed here are the author's own.