Helped Americans know what what was on their nation's mind

GEORGE HORACE GALLUP POLLSTER 9-4-1930 - 21-11-2011

By InvestSMART · 1 Dec 2011

By InvestSMART ·
1 Dec 2011

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GEORGE HORACE GALLUP

POLLSTER

9-4-1930 21-11-2011

GEORGE Gallup, who led the company his father made all but synonymous with polling and expanded it to become a barometer of Americans' views on religion as well as politics, has died of liver cancer in Princeton, New Jersey. He was 81.

Gallup had once considered becoming an Episcopal priest, and graduated with a degree in religion in 1953. But the pull of the family enterprise proved stronger, and he joined his older brother, Alec, at his father's company, serving as an executive from the mid-1950s until his retirement in 2004. While Gallup lamented late in his life that politicians follow polls rather than their conscience, he echoed his father in arguing that polling was vital to democracy.

"It's removed power out of the hands of special interest groups," he said in an interview a few years ago. "It's given people who wouldn't normally have a voice a voice."

Surveying Americans' views on schools, families and institutions, he used the results to paint a portrait of the nation.

Much of his work involved political polls. But he also expanded Gallup surveys into religion, becoming one of the first pollsters to ask questions about the subject. His religion research "was way before its time", said Andrew Kohut, president of the Gallup Organisation from 1981 to 1989 and now president of the Pew Research Centre.

Gallup's surveys also formed the basis for several books on spirituality and religion. Adventures in Immortality, published in 1982, reported that 46 per cent of Americans believed there was life on other planets, and 24 per cent believed they could contact the dead.

George Horace Gallup III was born in Evanston, Illinois. His father, George snr, founded the polling firm in 1935. The younger Gallup married Kingsley Hubby in 1959. She died in 2007. His brother, Alec, died in 2009. He is survived by daughters Alison and Kingsley, son George, sister Julia Gallup Laughlin, and two grandchildren.

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Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…

Who was George Horace Gallup III and why does he matter to investors?

George Horace Gallup III led the Gallup polling organisation for decades, expanding its work beyond politics into everyday topics like schools, families and religion. For investors, his legacy matters because Gallup polls help measure public opinion and sentiment—data that can influence policy, consumer behaviour and market confidence.

What is the Gallup Organisation and how long did George Gallup III work there?

The Gallup Organisation was founded by George Gallup Sr. in 1935. George Horace Gallup III joined his brother Alec in the family firm in the mid-1950s and served as an executive until his retirement in 2004, shaping the organisation’s national polling work for about half a century.

How can Gallup polls and public opinion data be useful for everyday investors?

Gallup polls track public sentiment on politics, institutions and social trends. Investors can use this polling data as an early indicator of shifting consumer confidence, regulatory priorities or political risk—factors that can affect sectors, company performance and market direction.

What unique areas did Gallup expand into under George Gallup III’s leadership?

Under his leadership Gallup expanded into religion research, becoming one of the first major pollsters to ask systematic questions about faith, spirituality and beliefs—work that later supported books and broader cultural analysis.

What notable findings came from Gallup’s religion surveys?

Gallup’s religion research fed into books such as Adventures in Immortality (1982), which reported that 46% of Americans believed there was life on other planets and 24% believed they could contact the dead—examples of the surprising social insights polling can reveal.

What was George Gallup III’s view on the role of polling in democracy?

Gallup argued that polling was vital to democracy because it removed power from special interest groups and gave ordinary people a voice. He also lamented that politicians sometimes follow polls rather than their conscience, reflecting the tension between measurement and decision-making.

When did George Horace Gallup III die and what were some personal details investors might want to know?

George Horace Gallup III died of liver cancer in Princeton, New Jersey, at age 81. He was born in Evanston, Illinois, graduated with a degree in religion in 1953, once considered becoming an Episcopal priest, and was married to Kingsley Hubby in 1959 (she died in 2007).

Who from George Gallup III’s family survives him and what is the polling firm’s origin?

He is survived by daughters Alison and Kingsley, son George, sister Julia Gallup Laughlin and two grandchildren. The polling firm was founded by his father, George Gallup Sr., in 1935, and George III continued the family enterprise for many years.