Pew finds US Catholics 'like what they've seen so far' in Pope Leo

Catholics in the U.S. “like what they’ve seen so far” in Pope Leo XIV, with 8 in 10 viewing the new pope favorably — and significant numbers of non-Catholics agreeing, according to a new study from Pew Research Center.

Pope Leo XIV wears a Chicago White Sox baseball cap during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican June 11, 2025. (OSV News photo/Remo Casilli, Reuters)

On Sept. 12, Pew released results from a survey conducted July 8 to Aug. 3 in both English and Spanish among a nationally representative panel of U.S. adults selected at random. The 9,916 participants included 1,849 Catholics.

Pew found that on balance, 84 percent of the nation’s Catholics hold a favorable view of Pope Leo, with 4 percent disapproving and 11 percent stating they have never heard of him.

Among U.S. Catholics who attend Mass weekly, that approval rating is even higher, with 95 percent viewing the pope favorably. U.S. Catholics who are in the pews on a monthly or yearly basis largely approve of him (84 percent), and even most self-identified Catholics who seldom or never attend Mass give the pope a thumbs-up (77 percent).

Of the survey respondents who are Catholic, 67 percent said they know “a little” about the new pope, with 25 percent admitting they “know nothing at all” about him, said Pew. Only 7 percent claimed to know “a lot” about the worldwide Catholic Church’s leader.

Although respondents are still learning who he is, Pope Leo enjoys popularity on both sides of the political aisle, with Pew noting, “Vast majorities of both Catholic Democrats (89 percent) and Republicans (84 percent) view Leo favorably.”

Non-Catholics “are even less familiar with Leo than Catholics are,” according to Pew. It found 31 percent saying they “have never heard of him,” but a majority (56 percent) reported viewing the American-born pontiff favorably.

More than half (52 percent) of U.S. Catholics are either uncertain as to how Pope Leo’s leadership will compare with that of his predecessor, Pope Francis, or “say they don’t know anything about the new pope to begin with,” Pew said.

One third (33 percent) expect Pope Leo’s leadership to be “pretty similar” to Pope Francis’ style, while 13 percent believe the new pope will be “pretty different” from his predecessor.

Pew Research Center’s study on Pope Leo XIV’s ratings among U.S. Catholics can be accessed at https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/09/12/more-than-8-in-10-u-s-catholics-view-pope-leo-favorably/