The latest World Happiness Report shows that while the world’s happiest countries remain largely unchanged, deeper shifts are underway beneath the surface. In this episode, Ilana Ron-Levey, managing director at Gallup, and Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, professor at the University of Oxford and  director of its Wellbeing Research Centre, explore how global happiness rankings are evolving, a growing generational divide and what these trends reveal about how people experience their lives today.

The findings of “Black Thriving in America” reveal a complex landscape for the lives and experiences of millions of Black adults in the U.S. This annual report, the product of a partnership between the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Research Center and the Gallup Center on Black Voices, is an in-depth, data-driven examination of Black Americans’ lived experiences, with a focus on wellbeing, equity and opportunity. Camille Lloyd, director of the Gallup Center on Black Voices, and Dr. M.C. Brown II, executive director and research scientist at the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Research Center, discuss the report’s latest findings with:  

• Delano Squires, director of The Heritage Foundation’s Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Human Flourishing
• Dr. LaToya B. Parker, senior researcher in the Office of the President at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

There is no shortage of contenders for “the most important problem in the world.” Every day, leaders confront a growing list of complex and overlapping challenges that demand their attention. A new report from Gallup, released at World Governments Summit 2026, focuses on the issues people most want their leaders to solve, based on their responses to a new question added to the Gallup World Poll: “According to you, what is the most important problem your country is facing currently?” Riada Akyol, senior communications consultant at Gallup, and Benedict Vigers, Gallup senior global news writer, discuss the findings from this new research.

Read the report, “The World’s Most Important Problem,” here: https://www.gallup.com/analytics/701519/worlds-most-important-problem-report.aspx

In a conversation between Gallup CEO Jon Clifton and Dr. Marlene Tromp, president of the University of Vermont, Tromp shares how her strengths shape the way she leads. Listen in as Tromp discusses how she thinks about building trust and belonging across campus and why clarity and self-awareness are essential in moments of uncertainty. 

Originally recorded as part of Gallup’s “Leading With Strengths” leadership interview series, this discussion offers timely insight for leaders across education and beyond — especially those guiding the next generation through rapid change.

The Gallup Podcast will return with new episodes in 2026.

The Gallup Podcast will return in 2026. As we round out the year, we invite you to explore Leading With Strengths, a special series on global leadership. Through in-depth interviews, we uncover the decisions, mindsets and strengths that define exceptional leadership across industries and cultures.  

Juan Carlos Pinzón twice served as Colombia’s ambassador to the U.S., helping commemorate 200 years of diplomatic relations. From 2011 to 2015, he was Colombia’s youngest minister of defense, after serving as chief of staff to the president, vice minister of defense, and adviser at the World Bank, along with senior positions in banking and finance. Pinzón is a visiting professor at Princeton University.  

In this conversation, Gallup CEO Jon Clifton speaks with Pinzón regarding what history teaches us about leadership, why great leaders think beyond tomorrow’s headlines, how the emotions of a nation shape its destiny, and why understanding people’s pain is crucial.  

Discover more interviews at www.gallup.com/leading-with-strengths

Synopsis: Americans are hesitant and skeptical when it comes to AI — but at the same time, U.S. employees’ use of AI at work has taken off. However, there are bigger-picture questions about AI that linger, on safety and national security, governance, international cooperation, and more.

New research with the Special Competitive Studies Project provides insights on how Americans are grappling with the threats and possibilities of these advancing developments. 

Read up on Gallup’s latest findings on this topic: 

• AI: Major Threat or Just the Next Tech Thing?
• AI Use at Work Has Nearly Doubled in Two Years
• Americans Prioritize AI Safety and Data Security
• American Views on AI, National Security in 5 Charts

As students file back into classrooms, many are returning to campuses transformed by a strengths-based culture. Gallup’s Camille Lloyd talks with Dr. Cheresa Simpson and Dr. Paquita Yarborough of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund about how historically Black colleges and universities are weaving CliftonStrengths into the student experience.

What makes a leader worth following? At Gallup, this question has long guided both our research and our conversations with those shaping the course of society. As The Gallup Podcast pauses for the summer, we invite you to explore Leading With Strengths, a special series on global leadership. This collection of stories profiles real leaders confronting real challenges and shows how impact is shaped by each leader's unique strengths. 

Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report captures the voice of global employees in an evolving workplace. While the annual report has found a generally upward trajectory for global employee engagement, this year is an exception. Gallup’s Jim Harter, Claire DeCarteret and Benedict Vigers join the conversation to explore what the report finds about how employees are feeling around the world – and why it matters.    

Read the latest State of the Global Workplace report:
https://on.gallup.com/45DhNWc

Gallup research with the Equity Research Action Coalition at the University of North Carolina explores how Black parents bond with their children and navigate through challenges, from transportation to conversations about race. Camille Lloyd, director of the Gallup Center on Black Voices, talks with Dr. Iheoma Iruka, the coalition’s founding director, about the findings.

Read up on Gallup’s latest findings on this topic:

Discrimination Takes Less Toll on Socially Connected Black Parents: 
https://news.gallup.com/poll/648344/discrimination-takes-less-toll-socially-connected-black-parents.aspx  

Most Black Parents Discuss Racial Challenges With Children: 
https://news.gallup.com/poll/648410/black-parents-discuss-racial-challenges-children.aspx  

25% of Black Parents Agree: Transportation a Childcare Barrier: 
https://news.gallup.com/poll/649631/black-parents-agree-transportation-childcare-barrier.aspx

Togetherness: Shared Activities Within Black Families: https://news.gallup.com/poll/654335/togetherness-shared-activities-within-black-families.aspx  

A surge in liberal identity among U.S. young women reveals itself in various Gallup trends, creating new gender divides not previously seen. Gallup Director of U.S. Social Research Lydia Saad speaks with Daniel Cox, Director of the Survey Center on American Life and Senior Fellow in Polling and Public Opinion, about emerging differences between men and women -- and what will be important for public opinion researchers to track in the coming years.

Read up on Gallup’s latest findings on this topic:  

U.S. Women Have Become More Liberal; Men Mostly Stable: https://news.gallup.com/poll/609914/women-become-liberal-men-mostly-stable.aspx  

Exploring Young Women's Leftward Expansion: https://news.gallup.com/poll/649826/exploring-young-women-leftward-expansion.aspx