May Power Poll: The Pope, Funding Freezes and Teenage Gatherings

By: Thom Serafin
May 19, 2025

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Things around Chicago have been warming up this month. Our two baseball teams are swinging as summer sporting events are coming to life again. But there have been some international headlines regarding Chicago that go far beyond what many expected to hear this May: the Pope.

With the papal conclave selecting Pope Leo XIV, Chicago now has ties to the Pope. We asked the Power Pollers how they would welcome the Pope back to Chicago.

The new leader of the world’s nearly billion and a half Catholics is from our area! Rank in order the following ideas for welcoming Pope Leo XIV to Chicago:

1st – Extend an invitation for him to say mass at Holy Name Cathedral.

2nd – Let’s have a massive parade down Michigan Avenue and light up our skyscrapers in papal purple.

3rd – Invite him to the Crosstown Classic, though I’m not sure he’ll help the Sox.

Here’s a better idea (leave a comment here):

Masses at Millennium Park, Grant Park, or Soldier Field.
Give the Pope a Rivian Popemobile!
Visit one of Chicago’s centers devoted to ministry / charitable devotions.
Pizza tasting contest!
Have the Pope meet Mayor Brandon Johnson

Chicago’s thoughts on Snap Curfews?

“Teen Takeovers” have been in the news lately. These are social gatherings of a group or groups of teens, usually planned on social media. Chicago’s political leaders have been weighing their options on how to best address these gatherings, but a perfect solution may be hard to come by.

Do you support giving Chicago’s police leaders, with sign off from the Deputy Mayor for Community Safety and police superintendent, the authority to implement “snap curfews” to address teen gatherings downtown?

74% Yes, public safety leaders need this tool to maintain order.
3% No, this gives too much power to unelected officials.
15% No, there are better approaches to addressing teen gatherings.
8% Undecided, I need more information about implementation.

Mayor Brandon Johnson has been in office for just over two years and has faced criticism for his effectiveness in securing funds for the City. This month our Power Pollers weighed in on their thoughts about his ability to lock in state funding.

How would you rate Mayor Brandon Johnson’s effectiveness in securing state funding for Chicago during this budget season?

1% He appears to be getting what Chicago needs.
8% He’s making progress but still has work to do.
15% Somewhat unsuccessful at building coalitions in Springfield.
65% Ineffective, failing to secure necessary resources.
10% No opinion

Federal Funding Freezes

Recently, President Trump and his administration put a hold on hundreds of millions of dollars of federal grants and loans for many universities including our neighbors up in Evanston, Northwestern University. We wanted to gauge Chicago’s thoughts on this.

How concerned are you about the current Federal research funding freeze to universities like Northwestern?

56% Very concerned, they could significantly harm important research on topics such as cancer and other diseases.
11% Somewhat concerned there will be impacts but they’re manageable.
6% Not very concerned the impact will be minimal on well-funded institutions with huge tax-exempt endowments.
24% Not concerned at all budget cuts are necessary and may encourage universities to refocus priorities.
3% Uncertain about the potential impacts.

Is Chicago’s Relationship with the Business Community Strong?

Chicago is a city full of unique businesses ranging from Mom-and-Pop shops to iconic brands such as Portillo’s, Giordano’s and Kraft.

Chicago’s City Hall and the business community need each other. How would you rate the current working relationship between city government and the business community??

1% Positive, with strong collaboration.
10% Somewhat positive with occasional worries.
15% Neutral, neither particularly collaborative nor contentious.
25% Somewhat negative more adversarial than cooperative.
49% Negative, too much apprehension and mistrust.

Final Thoughts: What This Month’s Poll Says About Chicago

The month of May has been a busy one for Chicago especially with the news of the Pope. Will we see the Pope at a White Sox Game? Only time will tell.

Stay tuned for next month’s Power Poll!

Note: The Serafin Power Poll isn’t a scientific survey, but like Chicago weather, it gives you a pretty good idea of which way the wind is blowing. The poll represents the views of regional decision-makers and thought leaders in the Chicago metropolitan area.

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