Pope Francis’ popularity among Americans — including Catholics — has taken a nose dive since last year, a poll released Wednesday shows, largely driven by conservatives who often disagree with Francis on the causes of environmental and economic problems.

The Gallup poll shows Francis’ favorable rating with Americans at 59 percent — down from 76 percent in February 2014.

The current number is similar to what it was when Francis was first elected in 2013 but suggests, Gallup says, that Americans across the spectrum have different hopes for Francis and seem unsure about where his papacy is heading. The stark fall in positive views wasn’t coupled with a dramatic rise in people seeing Francis unfavorably. A large part of the shift appears to be people now saying they have no opinion — a category which rose to 25 percent from 16 percent.

Read the article “Why Pope Francis is Actually Becoming Less Popular in the U.S.” on washingtonpost.com.