Pope Francis is gaining popularity in the United States as the Pope is about to complete his second year as a leader of the Catholic Church, the International Business Times reported.

Pew Research Center survey shows that Pope Francis ratings are higher. The said survey was conducted in Feb. 18 to 22 and was released on Thursday.

The survey revealed that nine out of 10 U.S. Catholics view the pope favorably. According to NBC News, the survey disclosed that 70 percent of Americans have an affirmative view of him regardless of their religious affiliation.

The site added that it was up from 57 percent when the Pope was elected. The pope's figure is comparable during the time of Pope John Paul II, where 93 percent of American Catholics viewed him in a polled in 1990 and in 1996, while Pope Benedict XVI' highest rating was 83 percent in April 2008.

Furthermore, Jessica Martinez, a Pew researcher, said on NBC News that two-thirds of people have no particular religion or describe themselves as an atheist have a favorable opinion of Pope Francis.

"That was somewhat surprising because two years ago, right after Pope Francis was elected, only 4 in 10 had a favorable view," said Martinez.

Moreover, the Pew Research Center notes that "Franci's favorability rating has risen as more people have gained familiarity with the Pope and become able to express an opinion about him."

It is reported that it is not just the catholic who admired him, the International Business Times wrote in its publication that among the US general public, 70 is in favor with the Pope, which is 13 percentage points increased from the time he was elected on March 13.

On the other hand, 68 percent of the religiously unaffiliated and 60 percent of Protestants view him favorably.

Meanwhile, negative views and comments of Pope Francis remain steady as 15 percent of the general public view him unfavorably.