ST. LEO (FL)
St. Leo University Polling Institute
September 29, 2017
Pope Francis Remains Popular in National Saint Leo University Poll, Lowest Marks Earned for Clergy Sex Abuse, Immigration, Marriage Issues
Work on human rights issues and in helping the poor received the highest approval ratings
While Pope Francis continues to garner favorable opinion in the most recent Saint Leo University Polling Institute (http://polls.saintleo.edu) survey, his lowest marks come on the issues of handling sexual abuse by clergy, immigration/migration, and marriage and family issues.
The nonpartisan poll was conducted online among 1,000 American adults from September 10 through September 16. As a Catholic university, Saint Leo’s polling institute examines American’s opinions about the pope in each quarterly survey.
Saint Leo’s poll shows the pope’s current favorable opinion rating at 67.9 percent—down from 70.5 percent in the March 2017 poll, and up from the 62.6 percent in the November 2016 poll. Among Catholics nationally, Pope Francis’ popularity increased, with 87.9 percent having a favorable opinion of him, up from 82.6 percent in the March poll.
While the Saint Leo poll routinely asks respondents to rate the job Pope Francis is doing on four issues, the September poll added two issues—one regarding sexual abuse by clerics and one about marriage and family. The poll asked, “How would you rate the job Pope Francis is doing on:”
– Advancing the cause of the poor;
– Human rights;
– Environmental issues;
– Migration/immigration;
– Handling cases of sexual abuse involving Catholic clergy;
– Marriage and family issues.
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