How Americans view Pope Leo XIV's role in politics
Core finding
Adults viewed Pope Leo XIV more favorably than unfavorably, but that favorable baseline did not translate into open-ended support for every form of public political engagement.
Roughly 48% have a favorable opinion of Pope Leo XIV, compared with about 15% who have an unfavorable opinion. At the same time, 70% say it is inappropriate for President Trump to publicly criticize the Pope, and 75% say Pope Leo XIV should not make a vote public if he votes.
Favorable views outnumber unfavorable views
About 47.9% of adults have a favorable opinion of Pope Leo XIV, including 28.1% with a very favorable opinion and 19.8% with a somewhat favorable opinion.
Unfavorable views are much smaller at 14.7%. Another 22.4% are neither favorable nor unfavorable, and 14.9% say they have no opinion or are not familiar enough.
Stacked breakdown
47.9% have a favorable opinion of Pope Leo XIV.
n = 2,000 · Apr 21–23, 2026 · MoE ±2.3%
Criticism looks different depending on who is speaking
A 69.8% majority say it is inappropriate for President Trump to publicly criticize the Pope. This includes 52.3% who say it is very inappropriate.
Views are closer when the direction is reversed. About 49.8% say it is appropriate for the Pope to publicly criticize the U.S. president's policies, while 39.3% say it is inappropriate.
Topline
69.8% say it is inappropriate for President Trump to publicly criticize the Pope.
n = 2,000 · Apr 21–23, 2026 · MoE ±2.3%
Adults distinguish voting from public disclosure
After being told Pope Leo XIV is an American citizen, 77.1% say he should cast a vote in U.S. elections.
But voting support does not extend to public disclosure. If Pope Leo XIV votes, 74.8% say he should not make his vote public.
Taken together, the questions point to a distinction between private civic participation and public political signaling.
Topline
74.8% say Pope Leo XIV should not make his vote public if he votes.
n = 2,000 · Apr 21–23, 2026 · MoE ±2.3%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | Apr 21–23, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 2,000 |
| Margin of error | ±2.3% |
| Module | April 2026 Verasight Variety Survey |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/variety10126
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Pope Leo XIV?
- reports.verasight.io/r/variety10126
How appropriate or inappropriate do you think it is for President Trump to publicly criticize the Pope?
- reports.verasight.io/r/variety10126
How appropriate or inappropriate do you think it is for the Pope to publicly criticize the U.S. president's policies?
- reports.verasight.io/r/variety10126
Do you think he should cast a vote in U.S. elections?
- reports.verasight.io/r/variety10126
If Pope Leo XIV does vote, should he make his vote public?
Cite this topic
April 2026 Verasight Variety Survey, fielded April 21-23, 2026, N=2,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 2.3%.