Most U.S. Catholics Say They Want the Church To Be ‘More Inclusive’
Majorities want the church to allow use of birth control and IVF, and to permit priests to bless same-sex couples. But views differ by Mass attendance.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Majorities want the church to allow use of birth control and IVF, and to permit priests to bless same-sex couples. But views differ by Mass attendance.
Views vary on other ideas, such as recognizing same-sex marriages. Most see Pope Francis as a change in the church’s direction, and he’s broadly popular.
Most say Francis represents change in the church. And many say the church should allow priests to marry and let Catholics use birth control.
Catholics are one of the largest religious groups in the United States, outnumbering any single Protestant denomination.
At least 80% of Catholics have expressed a favorable opinion of Pope Francis in 10 of the 15 U.S. surveys in which we have asked about the pope since 2013.
Most White evangelicals (72%) say they approve of how Trump is doing as president. Other religious groups are more divided or disapprove.
There are 135 cardinals who are eligible to vote in the coming papal election, and a plurality (40%) are from Europe. That’s down from 51% in 2013.
Among White evangelicals, support for Trump is higher among those who attend church regularly than among those who don’t.
71% of Hispanic Catholics see climate change as an extremely or very serious problem, compared with 49% of White, non-Hispanic Catholics.
Pope Francis is broadly popular in much of Latin America and the U.S., but favorability has fallen in the Latin American countries surveyed.
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