Pope Finds Very High Approval Ratings

Pope Francis has made a splash with Catholics and non-Catholics alike since being installed earlier this year after the resignation of Pope Benedict. He has just been named Time Magazine's person of the year and also finds himself very popular among Catholics.

Indeed among all Americans, including the nearly eight in 10 who aren’t Catholics, 69 percent see Francis favorably, 15 points more than said the same about Benedict at the end of his papacy. Still, there’s room for Francis to advance further: Pope John Paul II was seen favorably by more Americans overall, 86 percent, in a Gallup poll in December 1998.

Beyond Francis’ personal popularity, a new question in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, finds that 85 percent of Catholics approve of the direction in which he’s leading the church. Even ratings of the church overall have improved among Catholics, from 86 percent favorable in February 2013 to 95 percent now. Among all Americans, 62 percent view the church favorably, the same as last February.