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Americans See Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse as an Ongoing Problem
Vast majority of U.S. adults have heard about reports of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, bishops
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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