HOT ON the heels of their poll predicting an easy win for the Labour party candidate in the Hillhead by-election. Gallup have produced a poll which shows that churchgoers of all denominations are strongly in favour of the Pope's forthcoming visit to Britain.
Both polls were released on Wednesday, March 24. TfaPpoll published in the Daily Telegraph predicted a 6.5 per cent lead for the Labour Candidate in Hillhead: the actual result was a cruising victory for Mr Roy Jenkins of the SDP/Liberal Alliance.
The other poll, commissioned by The Universe, a Catholic newspaper involved the questioning of a nationally representative group of 1,032 people throughout England, Wales and Scotland.
According to this poll, half the population of Britain approve of the visit and only 12 per cent disapprove.
Gallup also compared interest in this 1982 visit with a 1960 question on interest in the Archbishop of Canterbury's visit to Rome. The level of interest was virtually the same then as in the Pope's visit here: 36 per cent interested now as compared to 38 per cent interest then.
Most Catholics approve of the Anglican/Roman Catholic International Commission's discussions on unity between the Church, but 55 per cent of all respondents thought things would remain as they are now.
Only seven per cent of all people questioned thought that the Church of England and the non-conformist Churches would unite with the Catholic Church.
According to the poll, only 12 per cent of those questioned disapproved or strongly disapproved of the Pope's visit, and the areas in which most opposition was found were London (19 per cent) and Wales (18 per cent).
Strongest approval to the visit was in the NOrth-West. where 64 per cent of those asked were in favour. This may reflect the strength of Catholic support in the area.