Most Catholics say religion has a positive influence on American life, poll shows
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A pilgrim prays the rosary at a Marian vigil in St. Peter's Square, Rome, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 20, 2025 / 17:27 pm (CNA).A poll released by the Pew Research Center found that most Catholics believe religion has a positive influence on life in the United States, and an increasing number of Catholics believe religious influence on everyday life is a growing force.The data, published on Oct. 20, found that 71% of Catholics believe religion has a net positive influence on society, while 10% say it has a net negative influence on society. The other 19% said religion has a net neutral or unclear impact on society.A minority of Catholics believe that religion's impact on society is growing, but that number is much higher than it was in previous polls. The poll compared responses in February 2024 to responses in February 2025.Pew found that in 2025, 27% of Catholics believe religion is gaining influence in American life comp...
A pilgrim prays the rosary at a Marian vigil in St. Peter's Square, Rome, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 20, 2025 / 17:27 pm (CNA).
A poll released by the Pew Research Center found that most Catholics believe religion has a positive influence on life in the United States, and an increasing number of Catholics believe religious influence on everyday life is a growing force.
The data, published on Oct. 20, found that 71% of Catholics believe religion has a net positive influence on society, while 10% say it has a net negative influence on society. The other 19% said religion has a net neutral or unclear impact on society.
A minority of Catholics believe that religion's impact on society is growing, but that number is much higher than it was in previous polls. The poll compared responses in February 2024 to responses in February 2025.
Pew found that in 2025, 27% of Catholics believe religion is gaining influence in American life compared with 73% who said religion is losing influence. This is, however, a strong shift from 2024 when only 15% of Catholics believed religion was gaining influence and 82% believed religion was losing influence.
According to the research, 13% of Catholics said their religious beliefs have a great deal of conflict with mainstream American culture, and 42% said their beliefs have some conflict with mainstream culture. About 45% said there is not much conflict between their religious beliefs and mainstream culture.
The survey also found that 30% of Catholics said loving one's country is essential to being a Christian. It also found that 65% of Catholics said many religions may be true, while only 19% said only one religion is true. About 13% said "there is little truth in any religion."
Influence on U.S. society
According to the Pew survey, the broader American public also has a positive view on religion's impact on society. About 59% said religion has a net positive impact on society, while 20% said it had a net negative view, and about 21% said religion has a net neutral or unclear impact on society.
Pew also found that 31% of the broader American public believes religion is gaining influence on society and 68% said it is losing influence in 2025. This is also a shift from 2024, when only 18% said religion was gaining influence and 80% said it was losing influence.
The poll also found a political divide surrounding the public's views about whether the influence of religion is positive. About 78% of Republicans believe religion has a net positive impact on society, compared with just 40% of Democrats who said the same.
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Pope Leo XIV addresses the press at Castel Gandolfo Dec. 9, 2025. / Credit: Zofia Czubak/CNACastel Gandolfo, Italy, Dec 9, 2025 / 15:15 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV said President Donald Trump's plan to end Russia's war against Ukraine threatens to break apart the alliance between Europe and the United States.Asked by reporters Dec. 9 to comment on the initiative's fairness, the pope said, "I would rather not comment on that. I haven't read the whole thing. Unfortunately, some parts I have seen make a huge change in what was for many years a true alliance between the EU and U.S."The pope commented to reporters after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Castel Gandolfo. Pope Leo said, "The remarks [by Trump] that were made about Europe recently are, I think, trying to break apart what I think is an important alliance today and in the future. It's a program that President Trump and his advisers put together, and he's the president of the U.S. And he has a right to...
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American adults who identify with Christianity, with another religion, or with no religion have all remained steady, a new Pew Research Center report finds. / Credit: ChoeWatt/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 9, 2025 / 15:30 pm (CNA).The number of American adults who identify with Christianity, with another religion, or with no religion have all remained steady, a new Pew Research Center report finds. Surveys conducted since 2020 have generally found that about 70% of U.S. adults identify with a religion. The numbers have slightly fluctuated, but there has been no clear rise or fall in religious affiliation over the five-year period.A Pew Research Center study, Religion Holds Steady in America, summarizes the latest trends in American religion and examines religion among young adults. The report is based on Pew's National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS), which has annually surveyed a random sample of U.S. adults since 2020. It also draws from the U.S. Re...
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The J. Edgar Hoover FBI headquarters building in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCNA Staff, Dec 9, 2025 / 11:45 am (CNA).The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent who oversaw the Virginia office responsible for a highly controversial investigation into local Catholics will lead the state's safety office under its new Democratic governor. Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger nominated Stanley Meador as the next Virginia secretary for public safety and homeland security, according to a December announcement.Meador has served in several roles in the FBI, including in field offices in Seattle and Las Vegas, as well as at the bureau headquarters in Washington. In 2021 he became special agent in charge at the bureau's Richmond, Virginia field office, where he served until June 2025. In 2023 that office issued a memo to agents launching an investigation into "radical traditionalist" Catholics and their possible ties to "the far...
