Most American Catholics say they rely on the doctrine of the pope and the church to solve difficult moral problems, especially for those who claim to be powerful Catholics.
For most American Catholics, their Catholic faith is important in daily life, including many people who call it extremely important. (However, this is a big difference. Their Catholic faith is especially important for those who go to Mass on a regular basis, but for those who rarely or never.)
For most of our Catholics, the Pope is just as important in connection with the church, like local pastors and parishes.
But the next pope will also lead the American layman, with some differences.
A considerable number of Catholics in the United States currently believe that they have less connections to the church throughout their lives.
They are not frequent mass participants and currently do not consider themselves powerful Catholics.
This group is often a little bigger than those who say their connections have not changed, and the tradition of prioritization takes precedence over change.
Less than half of Catholics today will not feel that the church is connected to their personal needs. (Even if Catholics generally say that the Pope in Francis is now more connected than the previous churches.)
To put it this way, one of the reasons why those who believe the Catholic Church has lost contact with their needs is: reports of pastors sexually abused children in the past. Most Catholics think this is something that is not handled well in the Vatican. Relatively few, though considerable, point out the political views of the church and stand on issues such as abortion and divorce or the church itself because they believe the church has lost contact with their needs. Those who think it is a loss of connection still primarily believe that the church respects women like men, not those who call it “connection.”
Most people think that the Catholic Church currently provides them with spiritual guidance, sinful forgiveness, and connections to tradition, belonging and community.
They want the next pope to be a compassionate person, and they want most people to speak out.
This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted from a nationally representative sample of 1,298 adult Catholics, living in the United States between April 30 and May 5 and May 5, 2025. According to the 2023-24 Pew Religious Religious Landscape Study, a sample based on gender, age, race, race, education and large-scale attendance. The error margin is ±3.8 points.
