In 2005, Gallup committed to surveying nations worldwide, as often as possible, for the next 100 years. As of July 2012, Gallup has scientifically measured the attitudes and behaviors of 1 million people from 160 countries -- representing 98% of the world's population.
The World Poll systematically tracks well-being, community attachment, approval ratings of leadership, confidence in national institutions, employment rates, and other critical issues affecting people's lives. The idea is to give people everywhere a voice and to give leaders valuable intelligence about the attitudes and behaviors of their citizenries. Dedicated teams throughout Gallup go to great lengths to ensure we achieve accurate, nationally representative samples. Our interviewers worldwide have overcome challenges such as proper language translation, difficult terrain, and adapting to local customs.
Gallup Senior Scientists and other renowned researchers analyze this incredible wealth of global data and use it as the foundation for innovative global studies. Gallup partners with the World Bank to use the World Poll infrastructure to collect data about the financial behavior of adults worldwide, with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to understand how sub-Saharan Africans manage their money, and with Healthways to annually measure the emotional, physical, and financial well-being of people worldwide. Numerous institutions, including the United Nations, OECD, and ILO now use the information that Gallup collects through the World Poll in their own work.
Dr. George Gallup's mission was to measure and report on the will of all of the world's citizens. By interviewing 1 million people, we have taken another significant step toward fulfilling that mission.
Read more about Two Powerful Metrics for World Leaders and What World Leaders Must Know Now.