Exclusive: Gallup hopes halting presidential horse-race polling will shine light on other ventures

[Omaha Steve]

MATT HANEY/THE WORLD-HERALD
Gallup says that its move away from the polling the political elephant-and-donkey race will not dent its profits; election revenue makes up none of its $300 million in revenue, the firm said.

http://www.omaha.com/money/gallup-hopes-halting-presidential-horse-race-polling-will-shine-light/article_4b139a5c-57ef-5e92-a08e-bb5320c0f5ee.html

POSTED: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015 12:30 AM | UPDATED: 12:43 AM, TUE NOV 17, 2015.
By Cole Epley / World-Herald staff writer

Gallup’s move away from the political horse race might seem to be an abandonment of the company’s bread and butter. After all, what’s an election without the Gallup Poll?

But Gallup has moved beyond the who’s up, who’s down of politics, the company says. It’s been long-focused on workplace and marketplace consulting, and it wants the public to focus on that part of its business, too.

“We want this image to slip away,” Gallup spokesman Johnathan Tozer said of the focus on horse-race polling. “It often overshadows our general polling on economics, jobs, education, customers and employees, as well as our growing global consulting business,” he said.

And sitting out polling for the presidential primary doesn’t mean there’s no longer a “Gallup Poll.” The company still surveys on other matters that power the analytics Gallup uses to help other firms make decisions. (Recent surveys: How much will Americans spend on Christmas shopping? What jobs are workers looking for?)

FULL story at link.


ASSOCIATED PRESS

A 1947 Gallup Poll survey at the University of Iowa library, part of the personal papers of the Gallup Poll founder George Gallup Sr. that was donated to the university.