More than two decades after the clergy sex abuse scandal gained national attention in 2002, most U.S. Catholics think sexual abuse and misconduct by Catholic priests and bishops is an ongoing problem in the church.
In our February 2025 survey, 62% of U.S. Catholics say clergy sex abuse is an ongoing problem, while 31% say these reports “reflect things that happened in the past and mostly don’t happen anymore.”
While most view it as an ongoing problem, most also think the problem is not unique to Catholic clergy.
Indeed, about two-thirds of Catholics surveyed (68%) say sexual abuse and misconduct is equally as common among other religious leaders as it is among Catholic priests and bishops. Far fewer (19%) think it is more of a problem among Catholic clergy than among other religious leaders.
Since 2019, the share of Catholics who say they think sexual misconduct by clergy is an ongoing problem has declined from 69% to 62%. And the share who say they think clergy misconduct in other religions is equally as common as in the Catholic Church has increased from 61% to 68%.
Read on for more about Catholics’ attitudes toward sexual abuse and misconduct in the church, including:
- How much they’ve heard about it
- Views on whether it is an ongoing problem
- Views on whether it’s as common among other religious leaders
How much Catholics have heard about clergy sexual abuse and misconduct
The vast majority of Catholics (94%) have heard at least a little about sexual abuse and misconduct by Catholic priests and bishops. This includes 57% who say they have heard a lot about the topic and 37% who say they have heard a little about it.
Among U.S. adults as a whole, 93% say they have heard about sexual abuse and misconduct by Catholic clergy, including 55% who have heard a lot about this.
Views on whether clergy sexual abuse is an ongoing problem
About six-in-ten Catholics say that sexual abuse and misconduct by Catholic priests and bishops is an ongoing problem, while roughly three-in-ten say this is something that happened in the past and mostly doesn’t happen anymore.
Among Catholics who attend Mass weekly, 51% say sexual abuse and misconduct by priests and bishops is an ongoing problem, while 44% say it is something that happened in the past. By contrast, 70% 0f Catholics who attend Mass a few times a year or less often say the problem is ongoing.
(Catholics who say they attend Mass once or twice a month are more likely than other Catholics to say they haven’t heard anything at all about the issue; the survey did not ask respondents who said they were unaware of the issue whether they think it is ongoing.)
Views on whether sexual abuse and misconduct among Catholic clergy is unique
Most Catholics (68%) say that sexual abuse and misconduct by leaders is equally as common among other religious groups as in the Catholic Church. A similar share (65%) say this kind of abuse is just as common among other people who work with children (like teachers and coaches) as it is among religious leaders.
Catholics who attend Mass at least weekly are a bit more inclined than Catholics who attend a few times a year or less often to say they think sexual abuse of children is rarer among religious leaders than among other people who work with children. Still, majorities of Catholics at every level of Mass attendance say they think sexual abuse is equally common in the Catholic Church as in other religions, and equally common among clergy as among lay people who work with children.
