Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Americans See Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse as an Ongoing Problem
Among regular attenders, Catholics more likely than other groups to hear their clergy speak out in support of victims of sexual abuse
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- Americans See Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse as an Ongoing Problem
- Weekly Mass attenders more likely than less-frequent attenders to talk with others about recent reports of sexual misconduct
- Among regular attenders, Catholics more likely than other groups to hear their clergy speak out in support of victims of sexual abuse
- Among Americans who attend religious services at least yearly, most have not heard clergy talk about sexual abuse
- Among Catholics, general consensus that sexual abuse of children is not a uniquely Catholic problem
- White Catholics more likely than Hispanics to say sex abuse is especially common in the Catholic Church
- Weekly Mass attenders more likely than others to think recent reports of abuse reflect things that no longer happen
- Most Americans do not think sexual abuse of children is more common among religious leaders than among other adults
- Most Catholics say sexual abuse is just as common in other religious traditions as among Catholic clergy
- Catholics more likely than other religious groups to think sexual abuse in the church is a thing of the past
- Evangelicals, mainline Protestants and Jews among least likely to say they have heard about sexual abuse by religious leaders outside of Catholic Church
- Vast majority of U.S. adults have heard about reports of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, bishops
- Most U.S. adults think sexual abuse of children is equally common among religious leaders and other adults who work with children
- Roughly two-thirds of weekly Mass attenders give Pope Francis positive rating for handling recent reports of sex abuse
- One-quarter of U.S. Catholics say they have scaled back Mass attendance, donations in response to recent reports of sexual abuse and misconduct
- Catholics more likely than non-Catholics to say recent reports of sex abuse reflect past problems
- Vast majority of U.S. adults have heard about recent reports of sexual abuse in Catholic Church
- One-quarter of U.S. Catholics say they have scaled back Mass attendance, donations in response to recent reports of sexual abuse and misconduct
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- Most Catholics say sexual abuse is just as common in other religious traditions as among Catholic clergy
- Most Americans do not think sexual abuse of children is more common among religious leaders than among other adults
- Among Catholics, general consensus that sexual abuse of children is not a problem unique to religion