The survey, conducted in January by the Pew Research Center, polled a national sample of 1,503 American adults, of which 316 were Catholics. The margin of error ranges from 2.9 percentage points for all Americans to nearly 10 points for subgroups of American Catholics.

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From Catholic News Service:

In 2014, one year into Pope Francis’ papacy, “there was no discernible difference between the share of Catholic Republicans (90 percent) and Democrats (87 percent) who expressed a favorable view of Francis,” the survey said. “Today, by contrast, the pope’s favorability rating is 10 points higher among Catholic Democrats (89 percent) than among Catholic Republicans (79 percent).”

“In our polling about John Paul II and Benedict XVI, when we look at them we don’t see any falloff from them over time,” Greg Smith, a Pew senior researcher, told Catholic News Service. “What’s interesting about this survey that this is the first one where this political polarization among American Catholics really stands out.”

Pope Francis still maintains marks any religious or civil leaders would covet: 94 percent of Catholics say he is compassionate and 91 percent say he his humble — numbers unchanged from a 2015 Pew survey. His overall favorable rating is down one point, from 85 to 84 percent, from a 2014 poll. Those with unfavorable views of the pope were double that of 2014, but still in the single digits at 8 percent.

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Pray always for purity and love

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