Gallup International Celebrates 75th Anniversary in Madrid

  • Conferences, 2022

Members and partners from 50 countries across all regions of the world met in Madrid from 25 – 28 September 2022 for the annual conference, which this year not only marked the anniversary of the first global polling network but also sent a strong signal for the future.

In keeping with tradition, scientific topics were discussed at the conference. A wide range of topics, was covered from the visionary power of Dr. George Gallup's writings and their particular relevance for measuring public opinion in the age of social media bubbles, to current geopolitical developments from the perspective of the world population, to methodological innovations for measuring public opinion such as sampling via social media channels or social media listening and their possible applications in international opinion research. The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Mr. José Manuel Albares, welcomed the guests and emphasized the importance of international opinion research in his speech on the current global political situation.

The President of Gallup International, Kancho Stoychev, presented the first results of a global study that the association is currently carrying out in 75 countries which measures the state of public opinion in a context marked by the war in Ukraine and energy crisis and inflation. Detailed results will be presented before the end of 2022.

26092022-GALLUP-PALACE-LUNES-176.jpg
26092022_GALLUP_PALACE_LUNES_104.jpg

Press release

Madrid hosts the Gallup International congress, the world association for social research, with an eye on global discontent

or

Minister Albares inaugurates the Gallup International congress in Madrid, the world association for social research

  • Gallup International celebrates its 75th Anniversary, at a summit organized by Sigma Dos in the Spanish capital, with an eye on the impact of the war on world public opinion
  • According to the global study carried out by the association, the EU countries have a comparatively low satisfaction index, although Spain is above the average.
  • The majority of Spaniards and Europeans consider that they have lived better than their parents, but that their children will live worse than them

Madrid, September 26th. Gallup International, the leading association in social research present in more than 70 countries covering two thirds of the world's population, in which Spain participates through Sigma Dos, is holding its annual congress these days in Madrid. The event, which brings together companies from the five continents at the Palace Hotel in Madrid, has a unique meaning for the organization, as this year marks the 75th anniversary of its foundation by George Gallup, the father of contemporary statistics.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, who participated in the inaugural conference, underlined the importance of a high-level and coordinated response by Spain and the European Union to the common challenges of the world. Albares has also highlighted the role of social research in understanding the concerns and expectations of public opinion in different countries.

Spain, global hub of social research

Gerardo Iracheta, president of Sigma Dos, has stressed the importance for Spain of this event taking place in Madrid: “Gallup International is like the UN of social research, and hosting this congress, precisely the year of its 75th anniversary, makes I manifest the increasingly important role of our country as a hub of cultures in the global world”. Iracheta stressed that our society “acts as a bridge” between Europe, Latin America and Africa, and that we are in “a privileged place” to „observe and analyze the new times of globalization.”

For his part, Kancho Stoichev, president of Gallup International, highlighted his satisfaction at holding this congress in Madrid, the capital of "one of the most widely spoken and important languages in the world" and a political and social reference “for many countries in Latin America and other continents”. Stoichev has assured that the Congress will address the different social responses in the world to the current situation, marked by the war in Ukraine, as well as the impact that this is having on the quality of life of millions of citizens on all continents.

At the same time, the Congress will study the impact of the Internet on our lives, the phenomenon of fake news in democracies and new methods of social research.

World studio, dissatisfaction reigns

Kancho Stoichev has also presented the first results of a global study that the association is carrying out in 75 countries, through 75,000 surveys, and which measures the state of mind in the different countries, in a context marked by the war in Ukraine and inflation.

The conclusions point to the fact that, although the majority of people on all continents believe that their life is better than the life of their parents, there is a “serious doubt” that “our children will live than us”, according to Stoichev .

In addition, the study points out that most people around the world expect the end of the dominance of the US dollar, especially in Asia, and feel that their health is seriously threatened in the next two and a half decades.

According to findings presented by the president of Gallup International, virtually everyone is concerned that our lives are increasingly dependent on the Internet. Kancho Stoichev has also highlighted that a third of the world's population values the possibility of emigrating to another country, reaching half in some regions, such as Latin America.

Overall satisfaction index: Spain relatively well placed

To assess the overall satisfaction of societies, Gallup International has created an index with four indicators: comparison of one's own life with the life of one's parents, comparison of one's own life with expectations for children, general economic expectations and willingness to emigrate.

With 0 being total dissatisfaction and 1 being full satisfaction with one's own life, the index shows especially positive values in Asia (excluding Japan), with 0.61. The Eastern EU countries also present positive data, 0.59, and non-EU European countries, with an index of 0.57. Among the least satisfied would be the Latin American countries, with 0.30; the countries of the West of the EU and those of the Middle East, with 0.36 and Japan, with an index of 0.37. In the United States the index is 0.47 and Spain, with an index of 0.43, is above countries such as Germany, with 0.33.

We live better than our parents and our children

62 % of Spaniards believe that their life has been better than that of their parents, while 21 % consider that this has been more difficult. These are results similar to those of other countries in our environment, such as Portugal or Ireland, in which around 60 % also have a positive view of their life in relation to previous generations, and above other European countries such as Germany, where only 48 % believe so; Greece, 49 % or Hungary, 41 %.

This situation changes drastically when the question is reversed: only 30 % of Spaniards believe that their children's lives will be better than theirs, while 45 % believe that it will be worse and 19 % that it will be the same. This pessimism towards the conditions of the new generations is common in European countries. In Germany, the Netherlands and Croatia, the same percentage -30 %- believes so; in Austria, Belgium and the Czech Republic, that proportion drops to 25 %; in Greece, it stands at 28 % and in Luxembourg, at 24 % and in Sweden it sinks to 21 %. This optimism about the life of the new generations is especially high in African societies, where in some countries, such as Nigeria, it exceeds 90 %.

Gallup International Association and its members are not related to Gallup Inc., headquartered in Washington D.C., which is no longer a member of Gallup International Association. Gallup International Association does not accept responsibility for opinion polling other than its own. We require that our surveys be credited fully as Gallup International (not Gallup or Gallup Poll). For further details see our website: www.gallup-international.com.