Screening Question:
What is your affiliation with the Catholic Church, if any?
1,475 adults in Cook and Lake Counties responded
| Never been Catholic | 47.0% |
| Currently Catholic | 34.8% |
| Raised Catholic, but currently another religion | 9.5% |
| Raised Catholic, but not currently any religion | 4.5% |
| Don’t know/Refused | 4.2% |
Demographics of the 601 current and former Catholics interviewed
| Residence | Catholics | Ex-Catholics |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 47% | 45% |
| Suburban Cook County | 42% | 40% |
| Lake County | 12% | 15% |
| Gender | Catholics | Ex-Catholics |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 50% | 45% |
| Female | 50% | 55% |
| Age | Catholics | Ex-Catholics |
|---|---|---|
| 18 to 24 | 4% | 7% |
| 25 to 34 | 8% | 11% |
| 35 to 49 | 17% | 22% |
| 50 to 64 | 36% | 30% |
| 65 and over | 33% | 28% |
| Refused | 2% | 2% |
| Race | Catholics | Ex-Catholics |
|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 46% | 35% |
| White | 46% | 48% |
| African American | 4% | 13% |
| Asian | — | 3% |
| Other | 3% | 1% |
| Don’t know/Refused | — | — |
| Marital Status | Catholics | Ex-Catholics |
|---|---|---|
| Single, never married | 13% | 19% |
| Single, divorced | 5% | 8% |
| Married, divorced previously | 7% | 13% |
| Married, never divorced | 59% | 47% |
| Widowed | 10% | 9% |
| Don’t know/Refused | 5% | 4% |
| Education level | Catholics | Ex-Catholics |
|---|---|---|
| High school grad or less | 30% | 17% |
| Technical school grad or some college | 24% | 27% |
| College grad | 20% | 21% |
| Postgrad work or degree | 20% | 31% |
| Don’t know/Refused | 7% | 4% |
| 2014 family income | Catholics | Ex-Catholics |
|---|---|---|
| Under $15,000 | 11% | 7% |
| $15,000 to $30,000 | 13% | 8% |
| $30,000 to $50,000 | 12% | 16% |
| $50,000 to $75,000 | 16% | 14% |
| $75,000 to $100,000 | 10% | 12% |
| Over $100,000 | 12% | 19% |
| Don’t know/Refused | 27% | 24% |
Their opinions on eight hot-button issues (the church’s position is highlighted):
Do you support or oppose the use of contraceptives? Catholics Ex-Catholics
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Support | 70% | 84% |
| Oppose | 18% | 11% |
| Don’t know/Refused | 12% | 6% |
Do you support or oppose letting employers choose whether their health insurance plans cover birth control, based on the employers’ religious beliefs?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Support | 40% | 32% |
| Oppose | 47% | 64% |
| Don't know/Refused | 13% | 5% |
Do you support or oppose legalized marriage for gay and lesbian couples?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Support | 45% | 55% |
| Oppose | 44% | 37% |
| Don't know/Refused | 12% | 8% |
Do you agree that people who have divorced and remarried outside the church are living in sin and should not receive Communion?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Agree | 20% | 13% |
| Disagree | 69% | 79% |
| Don't know/Refused | 10% | 8% |
Should doctors be allowed by law to end the life of a patient by some painless means if the patient has an incurable disease and the patient requests it?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 52% | 64% |
| No | 35% | 28% |
| Don't know/Refused | 13% | 8% |
Should women be allowed to be ordained as priests?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 52% | 69% |
| No | 40% | 23% |
| Don't know/Refused | 9% | 8% |
Should priests be allowed to marry?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 59% | 81% |
| No | 33% | 12% |
| Don't know/Refused | 8% | 7% |
Abortion should be:
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal in all cases | 15% | 23% |
| Legal in most cases | 27% | 35% |
| Ilegal in most cases | 26% | 20% |
| Illegal in all cases | 26% | 17% |
| Don't know/Refused | 6% | 4% |
Their opinions on people and trends:
In general, are things in the Catholic Church getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting better | 44% | 40% |
| Staying about the same | 42% | 26% |
| Getting worse | 10% | 21% |
| Don't know/Refused | 4% | 13% |
Is your current or most recent parish priest in touch with the needs of Catholics today?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| In touch | 69% | 29% |
| Out of touch | 13% | 26% |
| Don't know/Refused | 17% | 45% |
Are nuns in your area in touch with the needs of Catholics today?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| In touch | 36% | 22% |
| Out of touch | 18% | 21% |
| Don't know/Refused | 46% | 58% |
Is Pope Francis in touch with the needs of Catholics today?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| In touch | 82% | 66% |
| Out of touch | 9% | 20% |
| Don't know/Refused | 9% | 15% |
How would you rate Pope Francis’s job performance?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 52% | 28% |
| Good | 32% | 42% |
| Fair | 11% | 15% |
| Poor | 2% | 9% |
| Don’t know | 2% | 7% |
How would you rate Cardinal Francis George’s job performance?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 30% | 12% |
| Good | 35% | 29% |
| Fair | 18% | 28% |
| Poor | 5% | 11% |
| Don't know | 11% | 20% |
What are your feelings toward incoming archbishop Blase Cupich?
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Very positive | 28% | 10% |
| Somewhat positive | 37% | 41% |
| Somewhat negative | 2% | 8% |
| Very negative | — | 4% |
| Do not recognize name | 15 | 18% |
| Don't know/Refused | 17% | 19% |
What is the most important issue or problem that you would like to see Cupich and church leaders address? [This question was open-ended.]
| Catholics | Ex-Catholics | |
|---|---|---|
| Priest sexual abuse of children | 15% | 15% |
| Bringing people back to church | 8% | 6% |
| Gay rights, gay marriage | 6% | 14% |
| Social justice, poverty, immigration | 5% | 6% |
| Catholic education | 5% | 2% |
| Practicing what you preach | 4% | 7% |
| Abuse of authority, lack of transparency | 4% | 6% |
| Church doctrine, Catholic beliefs | 4% | 4% |
| Marriage for priests | 3% | 5% |
| Church finances, church spending | 3% | 3% |
| Quality and quantity of priests | 3% | 2% |
| Women’s rights, women’s ordination | 2% | 4% |
| Birth control, abortion | 2% | 4% |
| Marriage, divorce, adultery, sex | 2% | 4% |
| Other | 8% | 7% |
| No opinion | 26% | 17% |
| Don't know/Refused | 5% | 8% |
Finally, four questions for Catholics only:
How often do you attend Mass?
| More than once a week | 16% |
| Once a week | 39% |
| Once or twice a month | 20% |
| Less than once a month | 6% |
| Only during major Catholic holidays | 10% |
| Never | 4% |
| Don't know/Refused | 4% |
In the past five years, have you become a more or less committed Catholic?
| More committed | 30% |
| Stayed about the same | 55% |
| Less committed | 12% |
| Don’t know/Refused | 3% |
In the past five years, has the amount of money you contribute to the Catholic Church changed?
| Increased | 28% |
| Stayed about the same | 55% |
| Decreased | 12% |
| Don't know/Refused | 5% |
If it decreased, why?
| Personal financial circumstances | 53% |
| Dissatisfaction with the church | 26% |
| Other | 17% |
| Don't know | 4% |
The data on these pages come from an exclusive poll commissioned by Chicago and conducted by Fako Research & Strategies of Lemont, Illinois. From November 6 to 11, professional interviewers spoke to a random sampling of adult residents of Cook and Lake Counties by telephone (both mobile and landline). After 1,475 people answered a screening question to determine religious affiliation, the interviews continued with current or former Catholics only. Interviews were conducted in the respondent’s choice of English or Spanish. In total, 601 people completed the poll; the overall margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. NOTE: Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.