It's our goal at Gallup to shed light on the events in the news, as well as to make news of our own based on the surveys we conduct. This year we've monitored and reported back to you on Americans' views of their leadership, the roller-coaster Republican nomination race, the starts and stops of the global economy, the challenges facing countries worldwide, the progress of the world's citizens toward improving their well-being, and much more.
You can read about some of the biggest findings of the year in chronological fashion in our 2011 year in review. But for those who want the top must-read findings of the year, here we present our top 11 of 2011:
- Americans Express Historic Negativity Toward U.S. Government: Americans' dissatisfaction with how the nation is being governed reaches historic levels across several Gallup trends.
- Worldwide, 40% Are Employed Full Time for an Employer: Gallup's new global employment metrics reveal that 18% worldwide were underemployed in 2009 and 2010, while 40% had "good jobs" with employers.
- High Well-Being Eludes the Masses in Most Countries Worldwide: Gallup's global well-being surveys reveal that fewer than one in four citizens across 124 countries were "thriving" in 2010, unchanged from 2009.
- Egyptians', Tunisians' Well-Being Plummets Despite GDP Gains: Gallup reports that a decline in well-being preceded the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, even as GDP in those countries increased.
- U.S. Economic Confidence Plunges Amid Debt Ceiling Debate: Gallup's economic tracking documents a plunge in Americans' economic confidence amid the final wrangling over the U.S. debt ceiling and Standard and Poor's downgrade of the United States' debt rating.
- In U.S., Significantly Fewer 18- to 25-Year-Olds Uninsured: Gallup finds fewer young adults in the U.S. reported lacking health insurance coverage in each of the three quarters since the new healthcare law began allowing young adults to stay on their parents' plans up to age 26.
- More Americans Now Normal Weight Than Overweight: Gallup's tracking of Americans' weight reveals a decline in the percentage of Americans who are overweight or obese, with the percentage at a normal weight (36.6%) exceeding the percentage overweight (35.8%) for the first time in more than three years.
- For First Time, Majority of Americans Favor Legal Gay Marriage: A majority of Americans (53%) believe same-sex marriage should be recognized by the law as valid for the first time since Gallup began asking about the issue.
- Obama Job Approval Average Slides to New Low in 11th Quarter: President Barack Obama averaged 41% job approval during his 11th quarter in office, ranking very low historically, and putting him well below the threshold for approval presidents generally need to get re-elected.
- Gingrich's Lead Over Romney Among Republicans Collapses: Newt Gingrich's 15-percentage-point lead over Mitt Romney in national GOP nominee preferences evaporates, following the same "rainbow" pattern Gallup found for the many one-time front-runners in the roller-coaster Republican primary race.
- Congress Ends 2011 With Record-Low 11% Approval: Congress ends its worst year ever with a record-low 11% approval rating in December and 17% approval for the year.
The findings, of course, will keep coming in 2012, along with exciting new advancements to both our website and our continuous global research. To stay up to date, be sure to sign up for news alerts or to get Gallup news on Facebook, Twitter, through our mobile apps, RSS feeds, or simply by visiting usoften.
We wish all of our readers a happy new year and look forward to making more discoveries with you in 2012.