The results from my data tests yielded an interesting set of data. First, when analyzing the data, I found no significant correlation between Pope Francis’s approval rating and the percentage in agreement with the church’s “domestic policies”. In fact, there was a very weak negative correlation (R= -.0844). The lack of a correlation confirms part of my hypothesis, because it shows that Pope Francis’s approval ratings have little to do with how the public perceives the church on social issues. I suspect his approval ratings are a result of his abilities as a foreign leader and his openness to church reform in the face of more conservative members in the church hierarchy. Catholics can distinguish between Pope Francis and the church itself.
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