The Gallup Podcast

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.

Social needs are universal. While most people feel socially connected, the experience of social connection varies greatly across the world. The Meta-Gallup State of Social Connections report sheds new light on global connectedness and loneliness -- and its impact on people’s wellbeing. Dr. Anya Drabkin, senior researcher for social impact at Meta, and Dr. Telli Davoodi, Gallup senior consultant and analyst, join the podcast to discuss the new findings on whom people form social relationships with, their experiences with loneliness and how the world’s youth are faring in their social connections.

The Israel-Hamas war has upended life for millions in the Mideast. Gallup’s surveys in Gaza right before the war shed light on a population whose vulnerability predates the recent conflict. Jay Loschky, Gallup’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, joins the podcast to discuss what Gallup learned in interviews that concluded the week before Hamas launched an attack on Israel.

Americans believe that businesses possess the power to influence people’s lives -- but they don’t necessarily trust businesses to wield this power responsibly. So how should businesses navigate the many hot-button, highly politicized issues in U.S. society? And what implications does this have on organizations’ ability to recruit and retain talent? Zach Hrynowski, Gallup research consultant, joins the podcast to discuss these findings and more from the Bentley-Gallup Business in Society study.

This week, as labor unions continue to enjoy high support in the U.S., we return to a conversation we had last year with two labor experts on the "exciting and interesting moment" organized labor is experiencing. Dr. Thomas A. Kochan, George Maverick Bunker Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Dr. Harry C. Katz, Jack Sheinkman Professor of Collective Bargaining at the ILR School at Cornell University, join the podcast to offer their expert insights.

A large majority of Americans don’t have confidence in business to use AI responsibly. What can businesses do to build trust with customers and educate the public about AI as a force for good? Dr. Noah Giansiracusa, associate professor of mathematical sciences at Bentley University, joins the podcast to discuss how transparency can be key to businesses responsibly adopting AI, and how young Americans’ greater optimism about AI presents an opportunity for the future.

New research from the Wellbeing for Planet Earth (WPE) Foundation in collaboration with Gallup suggests people can feel at peace, even if the world around them is not. Tim Lomas, a senior researcher for the WPE Foundation, and Telli Davoodi, a senior consultant and social scientist at Gallup, join the podcast to discuss a new, expansive view of wellbeing.

Gen Z reports greater levels of anxiety, stress, sadness and loneliness than older generations of Americans do, according to the latest report from Gallup and Walton Family Foundation (WFF), “Voices of Gen Z: Perspectives on U.S. Education, Wellbeing and the Future.” In fact, Gen Z is struggling with mental wellbeing today at much higher rates than U.S. millennials did at the same ages. The findings show this can negatively impact Gen Z’s engagement in the classroom. How can school become a place that unlocks students’ purpose? And how can educators create better systems and structures to support students? Romy Drucker, director of the Education Program at WFF, joins the podcast to discuss the findings from the new report.

Kristen Lipton, managing director at Gallup and host of “Thriving,” joins to discuss Gallup’s new podcast on the state of the global workplace. Lipton unpacks Gallup’s decades-long research on engagement, culture, remote work and more. Subscribe to “Thriving” wherever you get your podcasts.

Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits survey takes stock of what Americans are eating, drinking and smoking -- and their attitudes and beliefs about substances, diets, behaviors and more. Some trends, like alcohol consumption, are historically stable; while others, like marijuana use, are steadily on the rise. Do Americans have concerns about consumption habits? Gallup analyst Justin McCarthy joins the podcast to discuss.

Democrats and Republicans have become increasingly polarized on a wide range of social and policy issues. “The more meaningful increases in partisan polarization have occurred on policy issues, and the biggest of these are on global warming, public education and abortion,” says Lydia Saad, Gallup’s director of U.S. social research. “All of these issues are very much at the forefront of partisan conflict.”

A lot is changing in the workplace right now. Gallup has been tracking key workplace trends on engagement, burnout, employee wellbeing, culture and remote work for decades -- and can tell you how we got here and where we’re heading now. Tune in to “Thriving: A Gallup Podcast on the State of the Global Workplace” with Kristen Lipton. This new podcast is for employees and employers alike, and welcomes you into the world of Gallup’s research on our lives at work. Subscribe to “Thriving” wherever you get your podcasts.

Gallup has recorded declines in church attendance, belief that the Bible is the literal word of God, belief in various spiritual entities and more. What can we glean from our larger body of research about Americans’ relationship with faith and religion? Gallup Senior Scientist Dr. Frank Newport rejoins the podcast to opine on Gallup’s trends.

Confidence in higher education has fallen sharply. How much of the decline can be attributed to the larger loss of confidence in institutions? What role is student debt playing? And what is holding back thousands of Americans from achieving their higher education aspirations? Stephanie Marken, partner of Gallup’s Education Division, joins the podcast to discuss.

Michael Smerconish joins the podcast to discuss the record-low confidence Americans have in U.S. institutions. Is distrust an American norm? “We’re about to enter a period of the greatest stress test in my life of our most important institution,” says Smerconish.

Confidence in the media to report the news accurately has fallen over the past several decades. Mosheh Oinounou, founder of Mo News, and Jill Wagner, managing editor at Mo News, join the podcast to discuss how the currents of social media and politics have shaped the media climate, and the challenges the industry now faces to regain public trust.

How the world is feeling? Julie Ray, managing editor for world news at Gallup, joins the podcast to discuss the latest findings from Gallup’s 2023 Global Emotions Report. Where are people feeling the most positive -- and the most negative? “These metrics tell us about life’s intangibles that you can’t get from looking at hard numbers like GDP or income,” says Ray. “This gives a really good indicator of how people are living their lives.”

Where do Americans stand on Gallup’s long-standing abortion measures one year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization? Gallup’s Director of U.S. Social Research Lydia Saad joins the podcast to discuss the “new landscape on abortion” in the U.S.