Do US Catholics want a more progressive or conservative pope? What poll finds

Originally published May 7, 2025 for the Miami Herald

As over 130 voting cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel on May 7 to begin the secret process to elect the next head of the Holy See, a new poll finds that a plurality of U.S. Catholics want Pope Francis’ successor to continue his teachings.

The papal conclave includes the most electors ever — the bulk of them appointed by the late pope — and has no time limit to reach a two-thirds majority vote, CBS News reported.

While Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI were elected on the second day of voting, the longest conclave lasted nearly three years, according to the Vatican News, the official news portal of the Holy See. The election of Pope Gregory X lasted from 1268 to 1271, according to the portal.

Forty-two percent of U.S. Catholics said they wanted whomever is elected to carry on the teachings of Pope Francis, according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll. The survey of 1,298 U.S. Catholics was taken April 30-May 5 and has a margin of error of 3.8 points.

Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they wanted the next pope to have more conservative teachings, while 21% said they wanted to see more progressive teachings, according to the poll.

The pope, who died April 21 at age 88, was highly favored among both Catholics and non-Catholics in the U.S., McClatchy News reported.

Experts believe Francis’ emphasis on social justice, the environment and interfaith relations as well as his humble beginnings contributed to his popularity.

According to the poll, 76% of Catholics said they approved of the direction in which Pope Francis led the church, including 35% of respondents who said they strongly approved. Twenty-four percent of Catholics said they disapproved, per the poll.

How US Catholics are keeping up with papal conclave

Forty-one percent of U.S. Catholics said they were following the conclave “somewhat closely,” and 22% said they were following it “very closely,” according to the poll.

Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they were not following it very closely or at all, per the poll.

Although there has never been an American pope, several Catholics, 31%, said they think Francis’ successor should come from the U.S., the poll found.

Three American cardinals — Joseph Tobin, Timothy Dolan and Raymond Burke — are candidates who could earn support during the conclave, but experts think an American pope is unlikely this time around, Newsweek reported.