From Zenit:
Just a month into his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV is already receiving significant approval from Italians, according to new data released by the Demos Institute for «La Repubblica». The poll, conducted in late May and published June 16, reveals that 60 percent of the Italian population holds a favorable opinion of the new pope.
While that figure may not yet signal a groundswell, it does reflect a noticeable improvement over the perception of his predecessor, Pope Francis. Among practicing Catholics—defined in the study as those who attend Mass weekly—the enthusiasm is striking. An overwhelming 90 percent of them expressed confidence in Pope Leo XIV. Even among more sporadic attendees (monthly), approval remains relatively high at 67 percent. Remarkably, nearly 36 percent of those who never attend Mass also report having a favorable view of the pope.
This suggests that Leo XIV is managing to connect not only with the deeply faithful but also with the culturally Catholic and religiously disengaged sectors of Italian society.
The context makes this initial approval all the more significant. Under Pope Francis, Italian favorability had dipped to 58 percent in his final year as pontiff—down from a high of 88 percent in 2013, according to earlier Demos tracking. The decline was particularly sharp after 2017, when approval dropped below 80 percent and began a steady decline. While Francis did regain some support after 2020, reaching 67 percent, his final years saw that number ebb once more, culminating in the lowest figures of his pontificate.
