A Measure of Faith: George Gallup, Jr.
A Measure of Faith: George Gallup, Jr.
By Diane Winston
[Diane Winston is a free lance writer and serves as a fellow at the Center for the Study of American Religion at Princeton University. My own acquaintance with and appreciation for George Gallup, Jr. tracks closely with that of the author of this piece which she originally wrote for the Dallas Morning News.]
When George Gallup, Jr. joined the family polling firm, the church lost a prospective priest but the world gained a Spirit-filled layman. Mr. Gallup, who is chairman of the George H. Gallup International Institute and executive director of the Princeton Religion Research Center, chose a secular path for a religious call. But he can twirl a rubber band as deftly as a Catholic prays the rosary.
"I was drawn to the church and thought about being an Episcopal priest," said Mr. Gallup, whose deep bass voice would have rung appealingly from any pulpit. "But I decided Dad`s field offered an opportunity to find truth, to see how people respond to God and to explore their religious lives. When I started surveying in the early 1950s, this was virgin territory."
That the once-virgin territory is now well-explored is due, in no small part, to Mr. Gallup`s zeal. Over the years, Gallup polls have measured belief in God, angels, miracles, born-again experiences, biblical inerrancy, and heaven and hell. Among his recent projects is a survey on gratitude commissioned by Thanks-Giving Square in Dallas.
Recently, Mr. Gallup discussed his findings during the institution`s annual celebration of the National Day of Prayer.
"George Gallup was the logical person to talk to when we first conceived our interest in the healing power of prayer," said Peter Stewart, chairman of Thanksgiving Foundation. "He has an amazing way of looking at subjective and intangible things through the polling method, and he himself is certainly a man who understands the power of gratitude and thanksgiving."
Mr. Gallup would not divulge the survey`s findings before his speech, but he did say respondents were asked what motivated their gratitude and how they expressed it. He also revealed that the survey focused on teenagers, an age group that Mr. Gallup has tracked for more than 20 years.
Mr. Gallup`s interest in young people may spring from his own youthful conversion. At the tender age of 9, he felt the power of God`s presence and began contemplating a religious vocation. Later, as a student at Princeton University, he majored in religion and wrote his senior thesis about a survey, aided by family connections, of the reasons people believe in God.
"That was in 1953," recalled Mr. Gallup, whose office walls, decorated with election memorabilia dating back to George Washington, reflect his interest in the past. "The study was one of the first attempts to poke around that area."
At the same time, Mr. Gallup was poking around a religious vocation. He traveled to Galveston to work with a summer Bible school and an interracial youth program. Based at an African-American Episcopal church, the Christian collegian did his part to end segregation. But, despite his sympathy for the cause and dedication to the church, Mr. Gallup decided to serve God in a different way.
"The most important purpose of polls is to explore people`s response to God and indicate ways to strengthen that response," he told The Business Journal of New Jersey. "That is a form of ministry."
Working for his father, George Jr. explored this form of ministry at the Gallup Organization, a for-profit firm that conducts wide-ranging surveys and market research. Ten years ago, the Gallup family sold the business to Selection Research Institute of Lincoln, Neb. Mr. Gallup now divides his time between the George H. Gallup International Institute, named for Gallup senior, a public charity that seeks new approaches to social problems in education, environment, health, religion and human values, and the Princeton Religion Research Center, which publishes books and newsletters on religious trends.
At 67, Mr. Gallup remains hale and handsome. Tanned skin, clear blue eyes and punctilious manners attest to years spent as a member of one of Princeton`s first families. Likewise, a long-standing love for soccer and Gilbert and Sullivan bespeak Mr. Gallup`s engagement with the more secular side of life.
Then there is The Car.
Tweaked about his spiritual enthusiasms, Mr. Gallup admits a profane passion for a 1923 red-and-black Packard. He bought the car for $450 in the mid-1950`s and has spent the intervening years restoring it to pristine condition. When the weather turns balmy, Mr. Gallup can be glimpsed driving his prized possession along the backroads of his family farm.
"He`s one of a kind," said the Rev. Nicholas Van Dyck, another Princeton resident and president of Religion and American Life, an interfaith organization that serves and strengthens religious communities. "He is probably the kindest man I know. He and his family have always used survey data to improve human life and serve the common good."
In turn, organizations such as Mr. Van Dyck`s have made good use of the poll numbers.
"Since Gallup has tracked indices in the United States since 1939, it provides a uniquely valuable research tool because of the longevity of the data," he said. "It`s a good thing."
In the midst of all this goodness and service, Mr. Gallup is keenly aware of his flaws. To stay honest and in touch with his "brokenness," he participates in small groups for prayer and fellowship. He also "practices the presence of God."
"If you believe God is here at any point, then God is here all the time," said Mr. Gallup, who notes God`s presence by praying throughout the day. "The pieces fit together when you try to submit your life to God."
While many Americans would voice similar sentiments, Mr. Gallup`s polls suggest that few really know what they believe, much less how to put it into practice.
"People`s faith is broad but not deep," he said. "There`s a lack of charity, and spiritual disciplines-such as fasting, prayer, and meditation-have been ignored. The one good sign is the growth of the small-group movement. That`s where people can find a place to be vulnerable and honest."
Mr. Gallup hopes to build the Gallup Institute and the Princeton Center into institutions that address social problems with spiritual, practical solutions.
And for that he is grateful.
"I`m grateful for a life with the sense of God`s presence," he said. "I`m grateful as a Christian that Christ is my savior. I`m grateful for my wife and children. I`m grateful for a chance to serve through my life and work."
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
