Poll: Pope Francis has changed American Catholics' attitudes, but not their behavior

Nearly six in 10 American Catholics in the poll said they expected the church would definitely or probably lift its prohibition on birth control by the year 2050, while half said the church would allow priests to marry. Four in 10 said it would ordain women as priests, and more than two-thirds said it would recognize same-sex marriages by 2050. Large majorities of American Catholics said they wanted the church to change on the first three matters, and half wanted the church to recognize same-sex marriages…

Enthusiasm has risen, with a quarter of American Catholics saying they were “more excited” about their faith and 40 percent saying they were praying more often. But the poll showed that church attendance had not shifted in the past year, with 40 percent saying they attended Mass at least weekly.

As for confession, only 5 percent of Catholics said they went more in the past year, compared with 22 percent who went less. Volunteering in the church or community has not increased among Catholics, and the percentage of Americans who are Catholic, 22 percent, is the same as a year ago.