How Americans view Pope Francis David Masci, Pew Research Center Thursday, March 8, 2018 Recent opinion research suggests 84% of us like the pope, although this admiration has not led to a “Francis Effect” in church attendance — in fact, Mass participation is down slightly since his election. And “conservative” opposition to the pope is on the rise. © 2023 The Catholic Thing. All rights reserved. For reprint rights, write to: [email protected] The Catholic Thing is a forum for intelligent Catholic commentary. Opinions expressed by writers are solely their own.