The Gallup Podcast

There’s a large contrast between how Americans view small business versus big business in Gallup’s annual “confidence in institutions” list. But there is more to Americans’ attitudes toward and expectations of business, research with Bentley University finds. At the local level, businesses are crucial. Gallup’s partnership with the Detroit Regional Chamber sheds light on the role business can play in supporting cities and localities across the U.S. This week’s guests include:Kristjan Archer, senior communications consultant at GallupCynthia Clark, Poduska Professor of Governance at Bentley UniversityJustin Lall, principal at GallupSandy Baruah, president and chief executive officer of the Detroit Regional Chamber

Gallup’s 2024 Global Safety Report finds that people’s trust in their local police is one of the keys to their overall perceptions of safety. In the U.S., police were the only institution that saw an increase in public confidence in 2024. But racial gaps on this measure persist -- and research from the Gallup Center on Black Voices provides greater context to Black Americans’ relationship with the police. This week’s guests include:Lydia Saad, Gallup director of U.S. Social ResearchCamille Lloyd, director of the Gallup Center on Black VoicesDr. Rashawn Ray, senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings InstitutionJulie Ray, Gallup managing editor for World NewsBenedict Vigers, Gallup senior global news writer

Generation Z has a unique way of looking at the world, but also U.S. institutions. Gallup’s research with the Walton Family Foundation yields new insights into the young adults and children who are nearing adulthood -- about their confidence in institutions and their desires and needs as they come of age.

Though confidence in organized labor is stable, U.S. approval of labor unions -- one of Gallup’s oldest trends -- has seen a major rebound over the past 15 years. More recently, Gallup research has yielded new insights about the experiences of union members themselves amid this eventful period for the labor movement.     This week’s guests include: Megan Brenan, Gallup Senior EditorDr. Ben Wigert, Director of Research and Strategy, Workplace Management at GallupMike Ritz, Executive Director for Gallup's Federal Government InitiativePatrick Crowley, Secretary-Treasurer and incoming President for the Rhode Island AFL-CIO 

The media are among the institutions in which Gallup has documented the greatest loss in public confidence. The trend -- which predates the Watergate scandal -- paints a picture of an institution that was once highly revered and is now hardly trusted.Is this crisis in confidence unique to the U.S.? What role is technology playing in the decline in confidence in the media? And could local media provide a glimmer of hope for the industry?Read Gallup’s latest update on confidence in mass media: Media Confidence in U.S. Matches 2016 Record Low  This week’s guests include:Dr. Sarah Fioroni, Senior Researcher at GallupDelano Massey, Managing Editor of Axios LocalAmy Mitchell, founding Executive Director of the Center for News, Technology & Innovation

It’s arguable that, of all the items in Gallup’s annual Confidence in Institutions survey, higher education is the institution on the list that has endured the greatest number of destabilizing shocks in recent years.As a new school year has begun, confidence in higher education is at a low point -- but new data from Gallup and Lumina Foundation paint a more detailed picture of why this is. And what are experts in the field doing to restore confidence?Read Gallup’s latest update on confidence in higher education: U.S. Confidence in Higher Education Now Closely DividedLearn more about Gallup’s research with Lumina Foundation: ​Gallup-Lumina State of Higher EducationThis week’s guests include:Stephanie Marken, Senior Partner, Education Division at GallupCourtney Brown, Vice President of Impact and Planning at Lumina FoundationZach Hrynowski, Senior Research Consultant at GallupLee Strang, Director of The University of Toledo Institute of Constitutional Thought and Leadership

The top 10 happiest countries in the world are largely the same as the top 10 recorded before the pandemic, but key shifts are taking place -- including Germany and the U.S. dropping out of the top 20 for the first time. The latest World Happiness Report sheds new light on how people’s life satisfaction ratings vary substantially between the world’s young and old. John Helliwell, professor emeritus of economics at the University of British Columbia, and Lara Aknin, professor of social psychology at Simon Fraser University, join the podcast to discuss key changes in India, a growing global inequality of happiness and how wellbeing can serve as a protective factor against dementia.

How do residents of member states of NATO view the alliance’s leadership? And what factors drive these views? Zacc Ritter, project director and advanced data analyst at Gallup, joins the podcast to discuss soft power, the crossroads NATO finds itself at, and a new analysis of attitudes of NATO member states.

The Gallup Center on Black Voices has collected more than 130,000 survey responses since it launched in 2020. Camille Lloyd, director of the Center, joins the podcast to discuss its recent findings across the Center’s six pillars of research. With the Black History Month 2024 theme of “African Americans and the Arts,” how many Americans are knowledgeable about Black cultural influences?

What makes for a flourishing life? A five-year longitudinal data collection and research collaboration measures global human flourishing across six areas: happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, close social relationships, and material and financial stability. Dr. Tyler J. VanderWeele, professor of epidemiology at Harvard University and director of the Human Flourishing Program, and Byron Johnson, director of the Institute for Studies of Religion and distinguished professor of the social sciences at Baylor University, join the podcast to discuss The Global Flourishing Study.

Historically, incumbent presidents with approval ratings of 50% or higher have won reelection, and presidents with approval ratings much lower than 50% have lost. What does this mean for Joe Biden -- and how does his rating stack up against previous incumbents who have run for reelection? Lydia Saad, Gallup’s director of U.S. social research, joins the podcast to discuss Americans’ views on whether Biden’s deserves to be reelected, as well as the favorable ratings of Biden and Donald Trump. She also offers a sneak peek at upcoming data on the reasons Americans give behind their approval and disapproval of Biden’s performance.

The challenges posed by climate change will fall disproportionately on the world’s youth -- but how well do they understand the challenges they face? What are their perspectives on climate change, and where are they getting their information? Moira Herbst, special projects editor at UNICEF Innocenti, and Nahjae Nunes, a UNICEF Youth Foresight Fellow, join the podcast to discuss the latest findings from the UNICEF-Gallup Changing Childhood survey.

The Hologic Global Women’s Health Index is one of the most comprehensive initiatives measuring the state of health for 97% of the world’s women and girls. Though the pandemic may be over, the Index reveals that women’s health is no better now than it was at the height of it -- and in some cases, women’s health is now worse. Laura Gillespie, vice president for Women's Health Initiatives at Hologic, joins the podcast to discuss women’s testing for deadly diseases, their emotional health and their experiences across the world. “The Index findings make it exceedingly clear that it’s time for world leaders to take a bolder stand for women and girls,” Gillespie says. “Women are the backbone of families, the backbone of communities and economies -- and investing in women’s health benefits all of us.”

Despite a substantial need within the U.S. foster care system, most Americans are unaware of whether they are eligible to adopt. And while Black Americans are the most likely to already know they are eligible and are more likely to indicate interest in foster care and adoption, they are also more critical of specific aspects of the system. A report from Gallup and Kidsave highlights the perspectives and experiences of Black Americans with foster care, gaps in public knowledge about the foster care system and the barriers that prevent many from providing care. Shantay Armstrong -- Strategic Communications Manager for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion -- joins the podcast to discuss Kidsave’s EMBRACE Project and the many ways in which Americans can support foster children.

How have Israeli perspectives changed since the attacks on Oct. 7? Jay Loschky, Gallup’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, joins the podcast to discuss how Gallup has recently collected public opinion data in the country and how attitudes have shifted in recent months.

Parents often rely on a small subset of measures to gauge their children’s progress, but there is a more holistic way of evaluating student performance. Cindi Williams, cofounder and senior adviser at Learning Heroes, joins the podcast to discuss the latest report, B-flation: How Good Grades Can Sideline Parents.

The world is a bit more confident in its local police, according to Gallup's latest update on its annual Law and Order Index. But that’s not to say it feels any safer. Julie Ray, managing editor for world news, joins the podcast to discuss the latest developments in perceptions of global law and order. Later, Jesus Rios, Gallup’s regional director for Latin America, breaks down the findings in Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil and the larger Latin American region.

People who enjoy cooking and dine frequently with friends or family may receive a boost in their wellbeing, according to new research from the Ajinomoto Group and Gallup. The new report, Wellbeing Through Cooking: Global Insights Into Cooking Enjoyment and Eating Together, explores how people’s relationships with cooking and dining vary across the world. The report also examines those in high-income countries who habitually eat alone -- and the implications for their wellbeing. Gallup Research Director Andrew Dugan joins the podcast to discuss the latest findings.

How big of a problem is food waste in the United States, and how much are we wasting? What causes us to waste food? Are we taking the wrong messages from expiration dates? And could waste have broader consequences than many are aware of? MITRE’s Dr. Laura Leets, senior principal social scientist, and Dr. Jay Schnitzer, senior vice president, corporate chief engineer and chief medical officer, join the podcast to discuss the latest report from MITRE and Gallup, The State of Food Waste in America.

Countries around the world have tried to combat a growing global mental health crisis. And while many strategies have been examined, the relationship between mental health and spirituality, religion or faith has been largely underexplored. Aaron Sherinian, CEO of Radiant Foundation, and Ilana Ron-Levey, managing director at Gallup, join the podcast to discuss a new report from Gallup and Radiant Foundation, Faith & Wellness: The Worldwide Connection Between Spirituality & Wellbeing.