In 2011, Barna asked American adults who they consider to be the single most influential Christian leader in the U.S. today:
19 percent of American adults chose Billy Graham.
This is particularly striking considering only 9 percent chose the Pope. The survey also included figures such as Barack Obama (8%) and Joel Osteen (5%).
In 2014, Barna asked American adults how familiar they are with Billy Graham:
34 percent of American adults said they were “very familiar” with Billy Graham.
Other religious leaders in the survey included Pope Francis (28% very familiar), the Dalai Lama (21%) and Andy Stanley (4%).