According to a recent opinion poll, Pope Francis is more popular than any political world leader.
The WIN/Gallup International poll indicates that Roman Catholics and Jews have the most favorable opinion of Pope Francis.
More than half of the world’s protestants and even the majority of atheists and agnostics view the pontiff favorably.
About 1,000 people were questioned in 64 countries.
Those taking part in the poll were asked: “Irrespective of your own religion, do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable opinion of Pope Francis?”
Pope Francis was most popular with Roman Catholics, of whom 85% said they had a favorable opinion of him, and among Jews questioned the figure was 65%.
Among the 64 countries polled, the Philippines was the most enthusiastic nation with 93% thinking favorably of the Pope.
Pope Francis’s lowest ratings came in Tunisia, Turkey and Algeria, while most people in Azerbaijan said they did not know much about him.
WIN/Gallup said that Pope Francis heads the rankings when compared to the global popularity of political world leaders.
The poll gave the Pope a net score – the difference between favorable and unfavorable opinions – of +41 ahead of President Barack Obama on +30; German Chancellor Angela Merkel on +13; UK PM David Cameron on +10 and French President Francois Hollande on +6.
Mitt Romney’s chances of winning presidential election were boosted today by two polls which gave him a slender lead over Barack Obama.
Polls by Gallup and Rasmussen both gave Mitt Romney 49% of the national vote, ahead of Barack Obama on 48%, flying in the face of other polls which had appeared to show the President in the driving seat over the weekend.
The slim advantage could allow Mitt Romney to snatch victory in the key swing states which he needs to win in order to carry him to the White House.
The odds had appeared to be stacking up against Mitt Romney winning on Tuesday. Among political journalists, campaign reporters and most pollsters, there was a congealing conventional wisdom that President Barack Obama was about to be re-elected, particularly after Hurricane Sandy.
On Sunday, a raft of new national polls from Pew put Barack Obama up three, and NBC/Wall Street Journal, which gave him a one-point advantage. Fox, GWU/Politico and ABC/Washington Post found a tie nationally.
Rasmussen poll released on Monday
The Gallup poll, released at lunchtime on Monday, was the first since the firm suspended operations during Sandy, and showed a small swing to Obama. Its last poll before the hurricane gave Mitt Romney 51% of the vote with the President on 46%.
Both candidates were plunged into frantic activity on the last full day of campaigning before Tuesday’s election.
Gallup poll released on Monday
Barack Obama scheduled appearances in Wisconsin, Ohio and Iowa alongside A-list celebrities including Bruce Springsteen and Jay-Z, while Romney planned a whistle-stop tour of four different swing states – Florida, Virginia, Ohio and New Hampshire.
The fact that both men included Ohio on their itineraries shows the crucial importance of the state, which both campaigns consider almost indispensable to their victory hopes.
