New pope could be elected in days. Here’s what U.S. Catholics are looking for — CBS News poll

In the eyes of U.S. Catholics, the next pope is going to have big — if not red — shoes to fill. 

Most say the Church is in touch with the needs of Catholics, a view that’s higher today than when Pope Francis (who famously wore simple black shoes) became pontiff in 2013. Just before Francis’ papacy, which today gets 76% approval, most U.S. Catholics said the Church was out of touch.

As such, many U.S. Catholics would see the next pope continue Francis’ teachings, and others would move toward still more progressive ones. 

Those who’d continue Francis’ teachings tend to be younger. And by two to one, more U.S. Catholics overall say Francis’ papacy left them feeling more connected to the Church than less.

While most say it doesn’t matter where the next pope comes from, plenty of U.S. Catholics — if given a choice — would like the next Pope to come from the U.S., their top choice out of other countries or regions.

Hispanic Americans — who make up a third of US Catholics — also favor the U.S., but South America, Mexico and Central America are also noted.

Most also want the next pope to be outspoken on world political issues.

What kinds of changes are Catholics looking for?

Most U.S. Catholics would look for a pope who is in favor of letting priests marry; of letting women be ordained as priests; and — overwhelmingly — for the use of birth control. 

But here again there are differences between the (smaller group of) regular churchgoers, and the larger group of U.S. Catholics who rarely or never go. 

These majority views are driven much more by the latter group, who also say the Church is out of touch with Catholics’ needs — which may be one reason they’d seek a new pope in favor of changes such as these.

Most U.S. Catholics want the next pope to continue to prioritize tradition in general, even as some specific things draw calls for change. 

And they have at least some confidence (if not a great deal) the conclave will choose a pope in touch with the needs of Catholics — this view is especially the case among the most frequent attendees.

Those who think the Church is currently out of touch have comparably less confidence that the conclave will pick a pope who is.

But the next pope will oversee a U.S. Catholic laity with some pronounced differences in views between a smaller group who say they attend Mass at least a few times per month — most of whom do think the Church is in touch — and a majority who say they attend only a few times a year or never, and think the Church is out of touch.

And U.S. Catholics say they’ll be paying attention. Most plan to follow news about the process and selection of a pope at least somewhat closely.

This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1,298 adult Catholics living in the U.S.  interviewed between April 30-May 5, 2025. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education and Mass attendance according to the 2023-24 Pew Religious Landscape Study. The margin of error is ±3.8 points.

Anthony Salvanto

Anthony Salvanto, Ph.D., is CBS News’ executive director of elections and surveys. He oversees the CBS News Poll and all surveys across topics and heads the CBS News Decision Desk that estimates outcomes on election nights