Popularity and Performance

Abstract

AbstractChapter 6 uses the new ‘Catholics in Britain’ survey to provide a detailed assessment of Catholics’ views of religious authority and institutions with the Catholic Church. The chapter first focuses on their ‘performance ratings’ of Pope Francis’s general leadership and his handling of specific issues. It then examines whether Catholics are satisfied (or not) with their bishops at the national and local levels. Finally, it analyses their evaluations of the effectiveness of Catholic schools in relation to educational, pastoral, and mission-related objectives. The chapter analyses both the overall distribution of attitudes amongst Catholics and profiles variation in opinion across demographic groups, levels of religious commitment, and views on social-moral issues.