George Gallup, Jr.

Who was George Gallup, Jr.?

George Horace Gallup, Jr. was an American pollster, writer and executive at the The Gallup Organization, which had been founded by his father, George Gallup. Gallup expanded the scope of the Gallup Poll to encompass a wider variety of topics, ranging from the outlook of American young people to religious beliefs.

Much of Gallup's writings and research focused on religion and spirituality in the United States. His works included The Saints Among Us, published in 1992, and The Next American Spirituality, published in 2002.

Born in Evanston, Illinois, Gallup received a bachelor's degree in religion from Princeton University in 1953. In 1954, Gallup joined his father's polling company, The Gallup Organization, where he worked until his retirement in 2004. He and his brother, Alec Gallup, became co-chairmen of the company upon their father's death.

George Gallup was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2010. He died in Princeton, New Jersey, on November 21, 2011, at the age of 81.