Three months into his papacy, Pope Leo XIV is the world leader viewed most favorably among U.S. respondents, according to a recent Gallup poll. The new pope was viewed favorably by 57% of respondents, with 11% having an unfavorable opinion of him. Almost a third (31%) said they had no opinion, which includes those who said they had never heard of him.
The pope’s favorability ratings among U.S. respondents are in line with his two recent predecessors. Aside from the pope, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was the only figure on the list with more than half (52%) of respondents holding him in high regard.
In contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and billionaire CEO Elon Musk were the figures with the lowest favorable ratings. Musk is viewed favorably by 33% of Americans, with Netanyahu sitting at 29%.
Even though more respondents have a favorable opinion of Musk than Netanyahu, the Tesla CEO has a lower net favorability rating, as 61% say they have an unfavorable view of him. Slightly more than half (52%) have an unfavorable opinion of Netanyahu.
When looking at net favorability (the distance between “favorable” and “unfavorable” responses), members of Donald Trump’s administration have taken significant losses since the previous Gallup survey, which was administered shortly after the January inauguration.
Both Elon Musk, who spearheaded Trump’s budget-cutting initiatives and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have dropped in net favorability by 24% since January. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Vice President JD Vance’s net favorability have fallen by 13% each, and President Trump’s by 14%.
More information on the Gallup poll, including favorability ratings of other world leaders, can be found here.
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