Majority of U.S. Catholics Express Favorable View of Pope Francis
Most say Francis represents change in the church. And many say the church should allow priests to marry and let Catholics use birth control.
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9 facts about U.S. Catholics
Catholics are one of the largest religious groups in the United States, outnumbering any single Protestant denomination.
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The pope is concerned about climate change. How do U.S. Catholics feel about it?
71% of Hispanic Catholics see climate change as an extremely or very serious problem, compared with 49% of White, non-Hispanic Catholics.
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Under Pope Francis, the College of Cardinals has become less European
Pope Francis’ picks for the College of Cardinals have tilted the leadership structure away from its historic European base and toward countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
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Online Religious Services Appeal to Many Americans, but Going in Person Remains More Popular
About a quarter of U.S. adults regularly watch religious services online or on TV, and most of them are highly satisfied with the experience. About two-in-ten Americans (21%) use apps or websites to help with reading scripture.
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Among U.S. Latinos, Catholicism Continues to Decline but Is Still the Largest Faith
Catholics remain the largest religious group among Latinos in the United States, even as their share among Latino adults has steadily declined over the past decade. The share of Latinos who are religiously unaffiliated is now on par with U.S. adults overall.
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How the Pandemic Has Affected Attendance at U.S. Religious Services
During the pandemic, a stable share of U.S. adults have been participating in religious services in some way – either virtually or in person – but in-person attendance is slightly lower than it was before COVID-19. Among Americans surveyed across several years, the vast majority described their attendance habits in roughly the same way in both 2019 and 2022.
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Americans Feel More Positive Than Negative About Jews, Mainline Protestants, Catholics
Most U.S. adults are neutral toward several religious groups, though Americans tend to rate their own religious group positively. More than a third of Americans hold unfavorable views of multiple religious groups.
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How Religion Intersects With Americans’ Views on the Environment
Most U.S. adults – including a solid majority of Christians and large numbers of people who identify with other religious traditions – consider the Earth sacred and believe God gave humans a duty to care for it. But highly religious Americans are far less likely than other U.S. adults to express concern about warming temperatures around the globe.
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Like Americans overall, Catholics vary in their abortion views, with regular Mass attenders most opposed
About three-quarters of U.S. Catholics (76%) say abortion should be illegal in some cases but legal in others.
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